Dispatch

/dɪˈspætʃ/ noun, verb

noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A message sent quickly, as a shipment, a prompt settlement of a business, or an important official message sent by a diplomat, government official, military officer, etc.
  • Grammar: dispatch is listed as noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: shipment, accelerate, accomplish, accomplished fact.
  • Useful contrasts: dawdle, delay, hold.
  • Usage evidence: I've already paid. Please dispatch the merchandise as soon as possible.

How to use "dispatch"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "dispatch" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "dispatch" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "dispatch" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "dispatch" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "dispatch" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "shipment" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "dispatch", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A message sent quickly, as a shipment, a prompt settlement of a business, or an important official message sent by a diplomat, government official, military officer, etc. countable, uncountable

    "WikiLeaks did not cause these uprisings but it certainly informed them. The dispatches revealed details of corruption and kleptocracy that many Tunisians suspected, but could not prove, and would cite as they took to the streets. They also exposed the blatant discrepancy between the west's professed values and actual foreign policies."

  2. 2
    the act of sending off something wordnet
  3. 3
    The act of doing something quickly. countable, uncountable

    "We must act with dispatch in this matter."

  4. 4
    killing a person or animal wordnet
  5. 5
    A mission by an emergency response service, typically involving attending to an emergency in the field. countable, uncountable
Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    the property of being prompt and efficient wordnet
  2. 7
    The passing on of a message for further processing, especially through a dispatch table. countable, uncountable
  3. 8
    an official report (usually sent in haste) wordnet
  4. 9
    A dismissal. countable, obsolete, uncountable
Verb
  1. 1
    To send (a shipment) with promptness. transitive
  2. 2
    kill without delay wordnet
  3. 3
    To send (a person) away hastily. transitive

    "The League of One was suddenly exposed and in danger of being hunted by enemies of the salarians. Before any harm could be done, the team mysteriously disappeared.[...]Realizing the threat posed by this rogue outfit, the Special Tasks Group dispatched a team of hunters. When they didn't return, the STG dispatched ten of its brightest operators with broad discretionary powers. Only two returned; they reported no evidence of the League."

  4. 4
    send away towards a designated goal wordnet
  5. 5
    To send (an important official message) promptly, by means of a diplomat or military officer. transitive
Show 11 more definitions
  1. 6
    dispose of rapidly and without delay and efficiently wordnet
  2. 7
    To send (a journalist) to a place in order to report. transitive

    "Scores of foreign journalists have been dispatched to Seoul to report on the growing tensions between the two Koreas and the possibility of war."

  3. 8
    kill intentionally and with premeditation wordnet
  4. 9
    To dispose of speedily, as business; to execute quickly; to make a speedy end of; to finish; to perform. transitive

    "Yet, ere we put ourselves in arms, dispatch we / The business we have talk'd of."

  5. 10
    complete or carry out wordnet
  6. 11
    To rid; to free. transitive

    "But whā I had cleane diſpatched myſelf of this great charge and taſke, I loked not that I ſhould at any tyme afterwarde have any more to doe with this kynde of writing"

  7. 12
    To destroy (someone or something) quickly and efficiently. transitive

    ""And our dogs used to tree the cats on our property here, and we'd dispatch them.""

  8. 13
    To defeat transitive

    "Gareth Southgate's side had little trouble dispatching the side 172nd in the Fifa rankings."

  9. 14
    To pass on for further processing, especially via a dispatch table (often with to). transitive

    "These handlers perform any additional checking and processing that may be necessary before and after a message is dispatched to an object. In addition, some message types are handled internally by the kernel[…]"

  10. 15
    To hurry. intransitive, obsolete

    "prithee, dispatch"

  11. 16
    To deprive. obsolete, transitive

Synonyms

All synonyms
shipmentaccelerateaccomplishaccomplished factaccomplishmentaccount

Example

"I've already paid. Please dispatch the merchandise as soon as possible."

Common questions

What does "dispatch" mean?

A message sent quickly, as a shipment, a prompt settlement of a business, or an important official message sent by a diplomat, government official, military officer, etc.

What is a synonym for "dispatch"?

Common synonyms include: shipment, accelerate, accomplish, accomplished fact, accomplishment, account.

How do you use "dispatch" in a sentence?

I've already paid. Please dispatch the merchandise as soon as possible.

How do you pronounce "dispatch"?

Pronounced /dɪˈspætʃ/.

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish despachar or Italian dispacciare, replacing alternate reflex depeach, which is from French dépêcher. Further, several steps omitting, from Latin dis- + impedicō (whence impeach). The first known use in writing (in the past tense, spelled as dispached) is by Bishop Cuthbert Tunstall in 1517. This would be unusually early for a borrowing from a Romance language other than French, but Tunstall had studied in Italy and was Commissioner to Spain, so this word may have been borrowed through diplomatic circles. The alternative spelling despatch was introduced in Samuel Johnson's dictionary, probably by accident. Compare typologically deliver (for the meaning to bring or transport) (< Latin dē- + līberō).

More for "dispatch"

Synonyms

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsBrowse writing guidesExplore topic clusters