dispense
dispense Lexical Profile
dispense Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To distribute, deal out, or supply something to a number of people or in measured amounts.
"The automated machine was programmed to dispense exact change and transit tickets to commuters."
To prepare and give out medicine according to a medical prescription.
"Only a licensed pharmacist is legally permitted to dispense controlled medications at the clinic."
To manage without, get rid of, or render unnecessary (always used with 'with').
"Given the urgency of the meeting, the chairperson decided to dispense with the usual opening remarks."
To grant a formal exemption or release from an obligation, vow, or religious law.
"The bishop had the authority to dispense members of the diocese from fasting during the journey."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a transitive verb, 'dispense' means to distribute or hand out ('dispense advice'), whereas the phrasal construction 'dispense with' means the exact opposite: to get rid of or do without ('dispense with formalities').
• Rhymes for dispense
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 14th century from Old French 'dispenser', from Latin 'dispensare' ('to weigh out, distribute, manage'), a frequentative of 'dispendere', from 'dis-' ('out') and 'pendere' ('to weigh').