dispatch

American  

[dih-spach] / dɪˈspætʃ /

Or despatch

verb (used with object)

• dispatches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• dispatched,
  past participle,  past
• dispatching
  present participle

1. to send off or away with speed, as a messenger, telegram, body of troops, etc.

2. to dismiss (a person), as after an audience.

3. to put to death; kill.

   The spy was promptly dispatched.

4. to transact or dispose of (a matter) promptly or speedily.

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verb (used without object)

• dispatches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• dispatched,
  past participle,  past
• dispatching
  present participle

1. Archaic. to hasten; be quick.

noun

• dispatches
  plural

1. the sending off of a messenger, letter, etc., to a destination.

2. the act of putting to death; killing; execution.

3. prompt or speedy transaction, as of business.

4. expeditious performance; promptness or speed.

   Proceed with all possible dispatch.

   Synonyms:

   celerity, alacrity, haste, rapidity

5. Commerce.

   1. a method of effecting a speedy delivery of goods, money, etc.

   2. a conveyance or organization for the expeditious transmission of goods, money, etc.

6. a written message sent with speed.

7. an official communication sent by special messenger.

8. Journalism. a news story transmitted to a newspaper, wire service, or the like, by one of its reporters, or by a wire service to a newspaper or other news agency.

idioms

1. mentioned in dispatches, honored by being named in official military reports for special bravery or acts of service.

dispatch British  

/ dɪˈspætʃ /

verb

1. to send off promptly, as to a destination or to perform a task

2. to discharge or complete (a task, duty, etc) promptly

3. informal to eat up quickly

4. to murder or execute

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noun

1. the act of sending off a letter, messenger, etc

2. prompt action or speed (often in the phrase with dispatch )

3. an official communication or report, sent in haste

4. journalism a report sent to a newspaper, etc, by a correspondent

5. murder or execution

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dispatcher
  noun
• predispatch
  noun
• self-dispatch
  noun
• outdispatch
  verb (used with object)
• redispatch
  verb (used with object)
• undispatched
  adjective
• undispatching
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dispatches
  plural

Participles

• dispatching
  present
• dispatched
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• dispatch
  simple
• dispatches
  simple
• have dispatched
  perfect
• has dispatched
  perfect
• am dispatching
  progressive
• are dispatching
  progressive
• is dispatching
  progressive
• have been dispatching
  perfect progressive
• has been dispatching
  perfect progressive

Past

• dispatched
  simple
• had dispatched
  perfect
• was dispatching
  progressive
• were dispatching
  progressive
• had been dispatching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will dispatch
  simple
• will have dispatched
  perfect
• will be dispatching
  progressive
• will have been dispatching
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of dispatch

1510–20; < Italian dispacciare to hasten, speed, or < Spanish despachar both ultimately < Old French despeechier to unshackle, equivalent to des- dis- ¹ + -peechier < Late Latin -pedicāre to shackle; see impeach

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Explanation

Anything that needs to be mailed, sent off, or quickly shipped needs to be dispatched. Letters, official reports, teams of police — if it has somewhere to be, you can dispatch it to get there. Sometimes spelled despatch, this word was first used in the early 1500s as a verb meaning “to send off in a hurry.” These days we get hurried dispatches in noun and verb form, from journalists sending in their war zone stories to emergency squads getting dispatched to the scene of an accident. And in its most sinister sense, dispatch means to kill off without delay.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dispatch dispatches dispatched dispatching

Other videos have shown Ukrainian authorities using drones to dispatch medicine and food to remaining residents.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

Another problem has been the record-breaking warm waters off the California coast, which are starting to be influenced by an El Niño-fueled dispatch of warmer ocean waters from the Peruvian coastline.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026

His grandfather settled in Llandudno and worked as a shoe shop manager after the First World War where he had served as a dispatch rider before being injured by shrapnel.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

A dispatch from a dramatic tennis match: This year’s U.S.

From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026

“And have you ever met anyone who could break a stone bench with his fist? Or dispatch a dozen fiends using nothing but flesh and bone?”

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz

Few people navigate the internet’s light-to-dark spectrum as well as writer-director Jane Schoenbrun, whose films play like dispatches beamed out from the depths of online black holes.

From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026

His videos combined informative dispatches with the laid-back vibe of surfer ASMR.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

There Steinem wrote one of the first mainstream media dispatches from the women’s movement, covering a 1969 abortion speak-out in Greenwich Village, where woman after woman shared stories of terminating pregnancies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

Frankel’s dispatches showcase the culinary world’s relative lack of purism about the dish.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

Scott Fischer’s expedition had no less than two correspondents filing online dispatches for a pair of competing websites.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Reports say six police cars, external were dispatched, including armed police, and that Dedic and his companion were stopped about seven miles away from where they were originally spotted.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Schmidt is one of a growing number of people living with the noise of drones dispatched by companies including Amazon and Walmart as they seek to speed up home deliveries.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

The Rays dispatched the Yankees earlier this month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

This observation was made by Goldman Sachs trader Matthew Kaplan in a daily email dispatched to clients on Thursday.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026

A wicked nanny had been dispatched, thanks to my quick thinking and even quicker work.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

And—there’s no doubt—Tanden takes some pleasure in dispatching them.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

“I expected a very rowdy court, rowdy match,” the 20-year-old Irvine native said after dispatching Monfils in straight sets on Thursday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

Morgan Gibbs-White: Quality on the ball and got the assist for Ndoye before dispatching his second-half penalty in style.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was dispatching a team to inspect the damage, calling the incident "deeply concerning".

From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026

He fought them off with grace and precision, dispatching monstruo after monstruo.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

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