dispense

/dəˈspɛns/

/dɪˈspɛns/

Other forms: dispensed; dispensing; dispenses

To dispense means to give out or distribute something. A school nurse can dispense students' medication and we all can dispense advice.

The word dispense comes from the Old French word dispenser, meaning "give out." You can dispense anything from hand sanitizer to dating advice. When dispense is paired with with it means "get rid of it" or "skip." If you dispense with traditional Thanksgiving dishes, you might instead celebrate with pizza, pancakes, tacos — anything but turkey and all the fixings.

Definitions of dispense

1. verb

   administer or bestow, as in small portions
   “the machine dispenses soft drinks”

   synonyms: administer, allot, deal, deal out, dish out, distribute, dole, dole out, lot, mete, mete out, parcel out, shell out

   types:

   allot, assign, portion

   give out

   reallot

   allot again

   deal

   distribute cards to the players in a game

   apply, give

   give or convey physically

   allow, appropriate, earmark, reserve, set aside

   give or assign a resource to a particular person or cause

   allocate, apportion

   distribute according to a plan or set apart for a special purpose

   misdeal

   deal cards wrongly

   tread

   apply (the tread) to a tire

   administer

   perform (a church sacrament) ritually

   type of:

   give

   transfer possession of something concrete or abstract to somebody
2. verb

   give or apply (medications)
   synonyms: administer

   types:

   transfuse

   give a transfusion (e.g., of blood) to

   digitalize

   administer digitalis such that the patient benefits maximally without getting adverse effects

   inject, shoot

   give an injection to

   give

   give (as medicine)

   infuse

   introduce into the body through a vein, for therapeutic purposes

   immunise, immunize, inoculate, vaccinate

   perform vaccinations or produce immunity in by inoculation

   type of:

   care for, treat

   provide treatment for
3. verb

   grant a dispensation; grant an exemption
   “I was dispensed from this terrible task”

   type of:

   exempt, free, relieve

   grant relief or an exemption from a rule or requirement to