dispatch
verb /dɪˈspætʃ/
/dɪˈspætʃ/
(British English also despatch)
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they dispatch | /dɪˈspætʃ/ /dɪˈspætʃ/ |
| he / she / it dispatches | /dɪˈspætʃɪz/ /dɪˈspætʃɪz/ |
| past simple dispatched | /dɪˈspætʃt/ /dɪˈspætʃt/ |
| past participle dispatched | /dɪˈspætʃt/ /dɪˈspætʃt/ |
| -ing form dispatching | /dɪˈspætʃɪŋ/ /dɪˈspætʃɪŋ/ |
- dispatch somebody/something (to…) (formal) to send somebody/something somewhere, especially for a special purpose
- Troops have been dispatched to the area.
- A courier was dispatched to collect the documents.
- dispatch something (to somebody/something) (formal) to send a letter, package or message somewhere
- Goods are dispatched within 24 hours of your order reaching us.
- Weir dispatched 50 messages back to base.
- dispatch somebody/something (formal) to deal or finish with somebody/something quickly and completely
- He dispatched the younger player in straight sets.
- dispatch somebody/something (old-fashioned) to kill a person or an animal
Word Originearly 16th cent.: from Italian dispacciare or Spanish despachar ‘expedite’, from dis-, des- (expressing reversal) + the base of Italian impacciare, Spanish empachar ‘hinder’.