dispatched

IPA/dɪˈspætʃ/
KK[dɪspˈætʃt]IPA/dɪˈspætʃ/

dispatched — verb

  • dispatchedpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • dispatcheds3rd person singular
  • dispatcheding-ing form
  • dispatchededpast simple

1. to send a person, a vehicle, or goods away to a chosen place so that something g

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to send a person, a vehicle, or goods away to a chosen place so that something gets done there.

Example

The warehouse dispatched Anjali's birthday parcel to Taipei the same afternoon.

dispatch + object + to + place

Headquarters dispatched two ambulances to the scene of the bus crash.

subject is usually an organisation

Common collocations
  • dispatch troops
  • dispatch a courier
  • dispatch supplies
  • dispatch a team
Synonyms
  • send

    everyday and neutral; 'dispatch' is more formal and implies official purpose

  • ship

    specifically about transporting goods; 'dispatch' covers people and messages too

  • deploy

    for personnel sent on a mission; stronger military or strategic flavour

Antonyms
  • receive

    the opposite end of the same action

  • recall

    call someone back from where they were sent

Grammar Patterns

dispatch + object + to + place

dispatch + object + as + role

Usage Note

Subject is usually an organisation, agency, or person in authority — not a casual sender. Frequently passive ('was dispatched to').

Common Mistakes

I dispatched a text to my mum on the bus.
I sent a text to my mum on the bus.
for casual personal messages, use 'send'; 'dispatch' implies official or organised sending.

2. to kill a person or animal, usually swiftly and without struggle.

2.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to kill a person or animal, usually swiftly and without struggle.

Example

The vet quietly dispatched the injured deer behind the barn.

object is a suffering animal being put down humanely

In the novel, Eli dispatches the villain with a single blow to the head.

literary register: villain dispatched

Common collocations
  • dispatch the wounded animal
  • dispatch the enemy
  • swiftly dispatch
Synonyms
  • kill

    the plain, general word; 'dispatch' adds speed and a sense of clean finish

  • slay

    literary or biblical; often heroic or violent

  • execute

    killing under legal or formal sentence; not random

Antonyms
  • spare

    let live when killing was possible

Grammar Patterns

dispatch + object (the victim)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 — the object here is a living being, and the verb implies finality. Common in news reports, fiction, and hunting or veterinary contexts; avoid in everyday talk about death.

Common Mistakes

Grandpa was dispatched after a long illness.
Grandpa passed away after a long illness.
'dispatch' suggests killing by someone, not a natural death.

3. to deal with a piece of work, business, or even food, getting it done or finishe

3.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to deal with a piece of work, business, or even food, getting it done or finished off rapidly.

Example

Dahlia dispatched the morning's email backlog in less than an hour.

object is a workload or task pile

The committee dispatched the agenda before lunch and went home early.

subject is a working group

Common collocations
  • dispatch the paperwork
  • dispatch business
  • quickly dispatch
Synonyms
  • handle

    neutral; doesn't imply speed

  • polish off

    informal; works for both tasks and food, similar speed nuance

  • complete

    neutral; says nothing about how quickly

Antonyms
  • postpone

    push the task to a later time instead of finishing now

Grammar Patterns

dispatch + object (the task)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 — here nothing physical is being sent anywhere; the focus is on the speed and efficiency of completion. Object is typically a task, list, agenda, or meal.

Common Mistakes

I dispatched the problem to my manager.
I passed the problem on to my manager.
'dispatch' here means to finish the task yourself, not hand it off.

dispatched — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five verbs cover moving something from one place to another, but they differ sharply in formality and what kind of mover they expect. 'Send' is the neutral, everyday choice — a child sends a letter, a friend sends a photo. 'Dispatch' adds an official tone and usually an organisation behind the action: a hospital dispatches an ambulance, a paper dispatches a reporter. 'Ship' is for goods moving by any transport, even by air; the focus is the cargo, not the sender. 'Deploy' belongs to military, emergency, or strategic contexts and emphasises positioning people for a task. 'Forward' means passing something on along a chain, often after first receiving it. Compare: 'Esme sent her cousin a card' (personal), 'The clinic dispatched a nurse to the village' (official), and 'The unit was deployed along the river' (strategic positioning).

send ↗dispatch ↗ship ↗deploy ↗forward ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • with dispatch
  • with all due dispatch
  • mentioned in dispatches
  • file a dispatch

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinVulgar LatinItalian/SpanishEnglish

English borrowed 'dispatch' in the early 1500s from Italian 'dispacciare' and Spanish 'despachar', both meaning to settle a matter and send it on its way. The roots trace back to a Vulgar Latin verb formed from 'dis-' (apart, away) plus a base related to fastening — the idea being to unfasten something so it could be released and sent off. Two strands of meaning grew from this single root: the literal 'send away' sense became the modern shipping and military uses, while the 'settle quickly' sense gave us both the 'finish a task' verb and the noun 'dispatch' meaning promptness. The grimmer 'kill' meaning is a later figurative extension — to 'send someone off' permanently.