dispatcher
Americannoun
-
dispatchers
plural
-
a person who dispatches.
-
a person who oversees the departure of trains, airplanes, buses, etc., as for a transportation company or railroad.
-
Slang. dispatchers, a fraudulently made pair of dice; loaded dice.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of dispatcher
Explanation
A dispatcher is someone whose work involves receiving messages and organizing the movement of ambulances and other vehicles. Being a dispatcher requires excellent communication skills in a high-pressure environment. An emergency dispatcher's work day might include getting phone calls from people who need medical assistance or the help of firefighters. A taxi dispatcher, on the other hand, communicates with each cab driver about where to pick up passengers who've called for rides. To dispatch is to send something off quickly, and for most dispatchers, their job is dispatching vehicles.
Vocabulary lists containing dispatcher
"My Favorite Chaperone," Vocabulary from the short story
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"My Favorite Chaperone" by Jean Davies Okimoto
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Lesson 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Morales called 911 after the incident and told the dispatcher, “I tried to get around him and he hit my car,” according to an audio recording played at the press conference.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
The dispatcher asked the caller for a verification code, which the caller did not have.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
“I met him a couple times over here by my job,” she told the dispatcher.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
It was, recalled the EMS dispatcher on duty that night in Queens, “a horror.”
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
“The dispatcher said you wanted to report some vandalism.”
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
Many airline passengers don’t know about the behind-the-scenes work of flight dispatchers who work with pilots to chart their routes—and avoid problems such as bad weather.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
When it comes to potentially dangerous weather, airline pilots can blame air-traffic controllers or company dispatchers for not letting them fly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Then at 12:50 a.m., reports of a traffic collision began to flood into CHP dispatchers, with witnesses saying a vehicle was on fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
The one year pay deal covers Menzies dispatchers, allocators, airside agents, and controllers.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
It was an odd and familiar sound—Joe Castiglione’s voice and the crack of the bat, layered with occasional farty blips and cryptic messages between cops and dispatchers.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
