I. də̇ˈspach sometimes ˈdiˌs- verb
or des·patch də̇ˈs-
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Spanish despachar or Italian dispacciare, from Provençal despachar to get rid of, from Middle French despeechier to set free, from Old French, from des- dis- (I) + -peechier (as in empeechier to hinder) — more at impeach
transitive verb
1.
a. : to send off or away (as to a special destination) with promptness or speed often as a matter of official business
dispatch a letter to one's superior reporting on progress
dispatch troops to the scene of conflict
dispatch a messenger to the king requesting military assistance
organized and dispatched a motorcade over the proposed route — American Guide Series: Florida
b. : to perform the job of dispatcher of
employed to dispatch buses at a terminal
dispatch seamen in a hiring hall
the starter is better equipped to dispatch elevators to maintain an even flow of traffic — Dun's Review
truck dispatching and maintenance, which he had learned as a motor transport officer in the army, being the only trade he knew — Oakley Hall
2.
a. : to get rid of (as by sending away) : dismiss , discharge
with the heavyset girl dispatched amid gaiety — Harriet LaBarre
b. : to put to death : kill
promptly seized the trap and dispatched the bear with one blow on the head — American Guide Series: Vermont
c. obsolete : to rid or free oneself of
d. obsolete : to do away with (life)
3.
a. : to dispose of rapidly or efficiently (as a piece of business) : execute quickly
anxious to dispatch the matter at hand and get on to other business
b. : to eat with avid concentration : clean up by eating
dispatch a seven-course dinner without effort or pause
the salad and frozen pudding were dispatched as promptly as the roast had been — Willa Cather
intransitive verb
archaic : to make haste : hasten
Synonyms: see kill , send
II. noun
or despatch “
( -es )
Etymology: Spanish despacho or Italian dispaccio, respecially from Spanish despachar & Italian dispacciare
1. : the act of dispatching: as
a. obsolete : dismissal , discharge ; especially : official dismissal
b. : the act of putting to death : killing
her well-planned loathing of Scarpia, and her equally determined dispatch of him once her plan of action was clear — Saturday Review
c.
(1) : prompt settlement or disposal (as of an item of business)
concerned more with grievances and their redress than with the dispatch of the crown's business — T.E.May
(2) : quick riddance
d. : a sending off especially to a particular destination
requested the dispatch of two companies to the front
the dispatch of goods trains from important centers of traffic — O.S.Nock
: shipment
fine white clay being bagged for dispatch to the potteries — L.D.Stamp
2.
a. : a message dispatched or sent with speed ; especially : an important official message often in cipher sent by an officer of the diplomatic, military, or naval service of a government
his military record brought him three mentions in dispatches — Current Biography
dispatch to the war department via the state department from … the consul at Tsingtao — J.D.Morris
b. : a news item sent with promptness or speed by a correspondent to a newspaper or news agency
3. : promptness or exactness and efficiency
the gallery stages its auctions with such dispatch and charm that one might be attending a cunningly directed play — New Yorker
4. Britain : express 1c
Synonyms: see haste
III. transitive verb
: to win victory over : defeat
dispatched the other team easily