Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To give or deal out, especially in parts or portions: synonym: distribute.
- intransitive verb To prepare and give out (medicines).
- intransitive verb To administer (laws, for example).
- intransitive verb To exempt or release, as from a duty or religious obligation.
- intransitive verb To grant a dispensation or exemption.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To put up (a medical prescription).
- noun Dispensation.
- noun Expense; expenditure; profusion.
- noun A larder; a spence.
- To deal or divide out; give forth diffusively, or in some general way; practise distribution of: as, the sun dispenses heat and light; to dispense charity, medicines, etc.
- To administer; apply, as laws to particular cases; put in force.
- To relieve; excuse; set free from an obligation; exempt; grant dispensation to.
- To atone for; secure pardon or forgiveness for.
- Synonyms Dispense, Distribute, Allot, Apportion, Assign. Dispense is to be distinguished from the others in that it expresses an indiscriminate or general giving, while they express a particular and personal giving; as, to
distribute gifts; to assign the parts in a play, etc. - To make amends; compensate.
- To bargain for a dispensation; compound.
- To give up the possession or use of; do without: as, to
dispense with all but the bare necessaries of life; I can dispense with your services. - To give up the observance or practice of; do away with; disregard.
- To put up with; allow; condone.
- To excuse; exempt; set free, as from an obligation.
- To do or perform: as, to
dispense with miracles. - To dispose of; consume.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb obsolete To compensate; to make up; to make amends.
- intransitive verb To give dispensation.
- intransitive verb [Obs.], [Obs.] To break or go back from, as one's word.
- noun obsolete Dispensation; exemption.
- noun obsolete Expense; profusion; outlay.
- transitive verb To deal out in portions; to distribute; to give
- transitive verb To apply, as laws to particular cases; to administer; to execute; to manage; to direct.
- transitive verb obsolete To pay for; to atone for.
- transitive verb To exempt; to excuse; to absolve; -- with
from .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To
issue ,distribute , or put out. - verb To
supply ormake up a medicine or prescription. - verb To
eliminate or do without–used intransitively with with. - verb obsolete To give a
dispensation to (someone) to do something against the law. - noun obsolete
Cost ,expenditure . - noun obsolete The act of dispensing,
dispensation .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb give or apply (medications)
- verb administer or bestow, as in small portions
- verb grant a dispensation; grant an exemption
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Yet no consideration could dispense from the law of Constantine: the clergy, the senate, and the people, disapproved the conduct of
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire 1206
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The model I had the most exposure to was the direct instruction model, or what I like to call the dispense method.
Tony Zini: How a Three Year Old, a Large Multinational, and a Professional Golfer Ruined My Approach to Teaching ... in a Good Way Tony Zini 2011
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I was told that occasionally there is no medication to dispense, which is sometimes because of a lack of money but other times because there are just no drugs available in our remote area.
Archive 2005-09-01 jen 2005
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I was told that occasionally there is no medication to dispense, which is sometimes because of a lack of money but other times because there are just no drugs available in our remote area.
schools and hospitals jen 2005
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It is the way to 'dispense' with those who are not like us, those who we do not like and those who we have convinced ourselves are our enemy.
Patricia DeGennaro: Israel and Palestine Going to the Mountaintop: Oh Yes You Can! 2009
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Interesting use of argument by authority to "dispense" with the serious question about the relationship between torture and conservatism.
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There was also no definition of the word "dispense" in the regulations and no definition of which services fall under the dispensing fee.
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On the screen the word 'dispense' appeared at least 500 times.
Planet Mechanica Scheer, Karl 1977
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It's also why we keep getting the command to 'dispense' our cargo, which is also sent continuously to the flying spheres.
Planet Mechanica Scheer, Karl 1977
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PacRim's interactive, multimedia kiosk can efficiently organize and present large amounts of information, promote travel destinations, community businesses and perform various tasks such as dispense travel coupons, make reservations and record transactions.
karpkatamala commented on the word dispense
There’s also the avuncular Peterson, the one who dispenses self-help lessons aimed at aimless young people, and to that end has written a new book of encouragement and admonition, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos (Random House Canada).
January 18, 2018