dispose
/dɪˈspəʊz
/verb
1 [no object] (dispose of) Get rid of by throwing away or giving or selling to someone else: the waste is disposed of in the North Sea people now have substantial assets to dispose of after their death...
- A capital gain is the profit arising to a person when he sells, or disposes of, an asset which he owns.
- In the absence of clear evidence that a spouse intends to sell or dispose of an asset or will be forced to do so, a court should not grant a deduction for notional sale or disposition costs.
- The rubbish was to be sorted and sold on or disposed of but eventually the waste was merely being dumped and not removed.
Synonyms
throw away, throw out, cast out, get rid of, do away with, discard, jettison, abandon, eject, unload;
scrap, destroy
informal dump, ditch, chuck, chuck out, chuck away, junk, get shut of
British informal get shot of
North American trash
part with, give away, make over, hand over, deliver up, bestow, transfer;
sell, auction;
unload, palm off, fob off
informal get shut of, see the back of
British informal get shot of
1.1 informal Kill: she came up with schemes for disposing of her husband...
- Farmers forced to sell or dispose of stock due to the dry seasonal conditions may be able to spread or defer their taxable income.
- This included the torture of more than 100 women who fled El Salvador and were disposed of by being thrown from helicopters.
- We got an inn to spend the night in, but when the owner's wife came into our room with a plate of food, we disposed of her quickly.
1.2Overcome (a rival or threat): the Scottish champions were buoyant after they disposed of English champions Leeds...
- GHA arrived at Mansfield Park hoping to complete a unique double over Borders rivals, having disposed of Gala a week earlier.
- Now Gore has handily disposed of his Democratic rival and has improved in opinion polls against Bush.
- Having disposed of their Northern rivals Park now face Midlands club Ampthill.
1.3 informal Consume (food or drink) quickly or enthusiastically: she watched him dispose of a large slice of cheese...
- Given, though, that many of these beings are incorporeal in nature and will not likely be disposing of the food themselves, this leaves the offerer with a galling dilemma: what is the proper way to clean up after the gods?
- Soren stood and grabbed his lunch tray, disposing of the food he hadn't eaten and setting the tray on the small stack of dirty ones already occupying a window in the kitchen.
- Shortly after the horrendous cafeteria ‘food’ was disposed of, a familiar cheery voice resounded through the room.
2Incline (someone) towards a particular activity or mood: prolactin, a calming hormone, is released, disposing you towards sleep [with object and infinitive]: if you touch the female readers' hearts, it might dispose their husbands to be charitable...
- Their positions within these new institutions may have disposed them to promote commercial values and made them willing to support the industrial and modernizing social order.
- They ease the atmosphere around two people and kindly dispose people to each other.
- Natural law theory held the world to consist of a variety of beings and objects whose essence disposed them toward the fulfillment of higher purposes.
Synonyms
incline, encourage, persuade, predispose, make willing, make, move, prompt, lead, induce, inspire, tempt, motivate, actuate;
bias, sway, influence, determine, direct
3 [with object and adverbial] Arrange in a particular position: the chief disposed his attendants in a circle...
- RyRs are disposed in a tetragonal arrangement, and groups of four DHPRs, or tetrads, are associated with alternate RyRs, forming a related array.
- Nor did he put the figures on display in a frontally disposed arrangement.
- The base portions are disposed in a matrix arrangement having rows and columns.
Synonyms
arrange, order, place, put, position, orient, array, spread out, range, set up, form, organize, seat, stand;
marshal, muster, gather, group, assemble
informal park, plant, pop, stick
rare posit
3.1 [no object] literary Determine the course of events: the government proposed, but the trade union movement disposed...
- The Pentagon proposes, the press disposes - albeit within softer confines than prevailed in the Gulf War.
- There are a whole lot of proposals, but it is really the Congress that disposes.
- The generals may propose, but H5N1 will dispose.
From the proverb ‘Man proposes, (but) God disposes’, translating Latin Homo proponit, sed Deus disponit (Thomas à Kempis's De Imitatione Christi i. xix)
Derivatives
disposer
/ noun a waste disposer a disposer of grants and subsidies...
- Among the accessories were cookware and crockery, trolleys and storage racks, dustbins and garbage disposers, carpets and cleaning supplies, kitchen hardware and ventilators.
- Today's garbage disposers are efficient, safe, virtually trouble-free devices that anyone who knows how to use a screwdriver and wrench can install in a few hours.
- It is putting pressure on the government to speed up enforcement action against noncompliant disposers and managers of waste.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French disposer, from Latin disponere 'arrange', influenced by dispositus 'arranged' and Old French poser 'to place'.