I. di ‧ spatch 1 BrE AmE , despatch /dɪˈspætʃ/ verb [transitive]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Italian ; Origin: dispacciare , from Old French despeechier 'to set free' ]
1 . formal to send someone or something somewhere for a particular purpose
dispatch somebody/something to somebody/something
A reporter was dispatched to Naples to cover the riot.
Goods are normally dispatched within 24 hours.
2 . to deal with someone or to finish a job quickly and effectively:
She dispatched (=beat) her opponent 6–2, 6–1.
3 . old-fashioned to deliberately kill a person or animal
II. dispatch 2 BrE AmE , despatch noun
1 . [countable] a message sent between military or government officials:
a dispatch from headquarters
2 . [countable] a report sent to a newspaper from one of its writers who is in another town or country
3 . [singular] the act of sending people or things to a particular place:
the dispatch of warships to the region
4 . with dispatch formal if you do something with dispatch, you do it well and quickly
⇨ mentioned in dispatches at ↑ mention 1 (4)