dispatch
Americanverb (used with object)
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dispatches,
present (3rd person singular)
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dispatched,
past participle, past
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dispatching
present participle
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to send off or away with speed, as a messenger, telegram, body of troops, etc.
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to dismiss (a person), as after an audience.
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to put to death; kill.
The spy was promptly dispatched.
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to transact or dispose of (a matter) promptly or speedily.
verb (used without object)
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dispatches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dispatched,
past participle, past
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dispatching
present participle
noun
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dispatches
plural
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the sending off of a messenger, letter, etc., to a destination.
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the act of putting to death; killing; execution.
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prompt or speedy transaction, as of business.
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expeditious performance; promptness or speed.
Proceed with all possible dispatch.
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Commerce.
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a method of effecting a speedy delivery of goods, money, etc.
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a conveyance or organization for the expeditious transmission of goods, money, etc.
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-
a written message sent with speed.
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an official communication sent by special messenger.
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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
verb
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to send off promptly, as to a destination or to perform a task
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to discharge or complete (a task, duty, etc) promptly
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informal to eat up quickly
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to murder or execute
noun
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the act of sending off a letter, messenger, etc
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prompt action or speed (often in the phrase with dispatch )
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an official communication or report, sent in haste
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journalism a report sent to a newspaper, etc, by a correspondent
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murder or execution
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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dispatchernoun
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predispatchnoun
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self-dispatchnoun
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outdispatchverb (used with object)
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redispatchverb (used with object)
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undispatchedadjective
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undispatchingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dispatchsimple
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dispatchessimple
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have dispatchedperfect
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has dispatchedperfect
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am dispatchingprogressive
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are dispatchingprogressive
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is dispatchingprogressive
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have been dispatchingperfect progressive
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has been dispatchingperfect progressive
Past
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dispatchedsimple
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had dispatchedperfect
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was dispatchingprogressive
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were dispatchingprogressive
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had been dispatchingperfect progressive
Future
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing dispatch
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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:
A dispatch from the Survivor cruise: Why are people still so obsessed with America’s most successful reality show 50 seasons in?
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
Inspectors will assess the end-to-end process of a police response through the control room, including call handling, dispatch and initial attendance at incidents of serious violence.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
The company’s Digit humanoid robot—featured in this WSJ dispatch from a South Carolina car-parts factory—is of course not the only commercialized product of its kind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
One company even approached me about helping build an AI system to dispatch ambulances, which made me uncomfortable.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
It was this that prompted the Academy of Sciences to dispatch Bouguer and La Condamine to South America to take new measurements.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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
“The daily dispatches shine a light on a wide range of often overlooked good news in our community.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
The clips were among thousands of reels, memes and first-person dispatches that flooded Instagram once protesters regained internet access.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Harry’s aunt and uncle have been preventing such dispatches from reaching the young wizard-to-be, but the boarding school’s messenger owls are having none of it.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
When Adams received word of this outrageous ultimatum, he ordered the delegation to return home, but he also withheld the official dispatches describing the bribery scheme from the Congress and the public.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Senate, two-term Sen. Ed Markey, an 80-year-old progressive, easily dispatched the more moderate Rep. Seth Moulton, 47.
From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2026
Helicopters and coastguard boats have been dispatched to the scene, while ambulances have been stationed on the beach.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
"Two helicopters have been dispatched but it is challenging because it is tough to even locate the entry points of the tunnel," he said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
The Fire Department was dispatched at 9:11 p.m. and arrived at the collision site four minutes later.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
I've dispatched a Helper crew to adjust turbine output—shall require a great deal more from them in coming days.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
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 Navy is reportedly dispatching another carrier, the USS George Washington, to replace the Lincoln.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
Saudi Arabia had diverted its oil exports to its Red Sea ports and out the Bab al Mandeb, dispatching some 4.5 million barrels via that route per day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
In part by dispatching health workers with megaphones to remind residents in traffic-clogged streets not to shake hands or hug.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
After he got laid off, he took a dispatching job with Atlas Van Lines.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
Definitions 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.
