dispense
verb
transitive verb
intransitive verb
Synonyms
- administer
- allocate
- apportion
- deal (out)
- distribute
- dole out
- hand out
- mete (out)
- parcel (out)
- portion
- prorate
Example Sentences
Dan Fellner, The Arizona Republic, 4 Aug. 2022 But because the drug can also be used to induce abortions, pharmacists in Texas can refuse to dispense it. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2022 Still, addiction experts say, Sublocade use remains limited because of the regulatory hurdles required to dispense it. Jenny Gold, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 25 May 2022 But Michigan officials have touted their Narcan distribution — a law passed in 2016 allows pharmacies to dispense it without a prescription — as a big part of their strategy in combatting the overdose death crisis. Georgea Kovanis, Detroit Free Press, 17 Feb. 2022 Then, dispense the solution through the nozzle, gently scrub with the soft brush, and vacuum it all back into the dirty water tank for easy emptying. Carolyn Forté, Good Housekeeping, 1 Sep. 2022 Instead of personalized treatments based on variables like health history, body type and gender, and even genome, medical providers dispense standard treatments that serve only a portion of the population. Shafin Tejani, Forbes, 7 June 2022 Today’s fastest liquid-handling robots can dispense samples into 384 wells in a matter of seconds. Sajith Wickramasekara, STAT, 2 Aug. 2022 Likewise, vending machines can dispense over-the-counter drugs, including Plan B. Fox News, 27 July 2022 See More Word History
Middle English, from Medieval Latin & Latin; Medieval Latin dispensare to exempt, from Latin, to distribute, from dis- + pensare to weigh, frequentative of pendere to weigh, pay out — more at spin
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Phrases Containing dispense
Kids Definition
dispense
verb
Medical Definition
dispense
transitive verb
dispense
verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- distribute
- provide
- administer
- allocate
- supply
- divide
- apportion
- assign
- portion
- furnish
- donate
- prorate
- dole out
- hand out
- share
- disburse
- appropriate
- contribute
- disseminate
- ration
- redistribute
- split
- circulate
- allot
- bestow
- issue
- spread
- deal (out)
- proportion
- allow
- disperse
- lot
- parcel (out)
- part
- mete (out)
- set
- dish out
- scatter
- admeasure
- pledge
- reallocate
- reapportion
- measure (out)
- share (out)
- divvy (up)
- chip in
- dollop (out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- refuse
- withhold
- deny
- reject
- disallow
- begrudge
- misallocate
- deprive (of)
- decline
- pinch
- skimp
- stint
- niggle (out)
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of dispense are deal, distribute, divide, and dole out. While all these words mean "to give out, usually in shares, to each member of a group," dispense suggests the giving of a carefully weighed or measured portion to each of a group according to due or need.
While the synonyms deal and dispense are close in meaning, deal emphasizes the allotment of something piece by piece.
In some situations, the words distribute and dispense are roughly equivalent. However, distribute implies an apportioning by separation of something into parts, units, or amounts.
The words divide and dispense can be used in similar contexts, but divide stresses the separation of a whole into parts and implies that the parts are equal.
The words dole out and dispense are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, dole out implies a carefully measured portion of something that is often in short supply.