Dispatch DISPATCH, v.t. [L.]
1. To send or send away; particularly applied to the sending of messengers, agents and letters on special business, and often implying haste. The king dispatched and envoy to the court of Madrid. He dispatched a messenger to his envoy in France. He dispatched orders or letters to the commander of the forces in Spain. The president dispatched a special envoy to the court of St. James in 1794.
2. To send out of the world; to put to death.
The company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords. Ezek 23.
3. To perform; to execute speedily; to finish; as, the business was dispatched in due time.
DISPATCH, v.i. To conclude an affair with another; to transact and finish. [Not now used.]
They have dispatched with Pompey.
DISPATCH, n.
1. Speedy performance; execution or transaction of business with due diligence.
2. Speed; haste; expedition; due diligence; as, the business was done with dispatch; go, but make dispatch.
3. Conduct; management. [Not used.]
4. A letter sent or to be sent with expedition, by a messenger express; or a letter on some affair of state, or of public concern; or a packet of letters, sent by some public officer, on public business. It is often used in the plural. A vessel or a messenger has arrived with dispatches for the American minister. A dispatch was immediately sent to the admiral. The secretary was preparing his dispatches.

dispatch n 1: an official report (usually sent in haste) [syn: dispatch, despatch, communique] 2: the act of sending off something [syn: dispatch, despatch, shipment] 3: the property of being prompt and efficient; "it was done with dispatch" [syn: dispatch, despatch, expedition, expeditiousness] 4: killing a person or animal [syn: dispatch, despatch] v 1: send away towards a designated goal [syn: dispatch, despatch, send off] 2: complete or carry out; "discharge one's duties" [syn: dispatch, discharge, complete] 3: kill intentionally and with premeditation; "The mafia boss ordered his enemies murdered" [syn: murder, slay, hit, dispatch, bump off, off, polish off, remove] 4: dispose of rapidly and without delay and efficiently; "He dispatched the task he was assigned" 5: kill without delay; "the traitor was dispatched by the conspirators"

dispatch 1517, "to send off in a hurry," from Sp. despacher "expedite, hasten," probably opposite of O.Prov. empachar "impede," either from Gallo-Romance *impactare, frequentive of L. pingere "dash against," or ult. from L. pedica "shackle" (see impeach). Meaning "to get rid of by killing" is attested from 1530. Noun sense of "a message sent speedily" is first attested 1582.

dispatch I. verb Etymology: Spanish despachar or Italian dispacciare, from Occitan despachar to get rid of, from Middle French despechier to set free, from Old French, from des- dis- + -pechier (as in enpechier to ensnare) — more at impeach Date: 1517 transitive verb 1. to send off or away with promptness or speed; especially to send off on official business 2. a. to kill with quick efficiency b. obsolete deprive 3. to dispose of (as a task) rapidly or efficiently 4. defeat 3 intransitive verb archaic to make haste ; hurry Synonyms: see kill • dispatcher noun II. noun Date: 1537 1. a. a message sent with speed; especially an important official message sent by a diplomatic, military, or naval officer b. a news item filed by a correspondent 2. the act of dispatching: as a. obsolete dismissal b. the act of killing c. (1) prompt settlement (as of an item of business) (2) quick riddance d. a sending off ; shipment 3. promptness and efficiency in performance or transmission <done with dispatch> Synonyms: see haste

dispatch
v. & n. (also despatch)
--v.tr.
1 send off to a destination or for a purpose (dispatched him with the message).
2 perform (business, a task, etc.) promptly; finish off.
3 kill, execute (dispatched him with the revolver).
4 colloq. eat (food, a meal, etc.) quickly.
--n.
1 the act or an instance of sending (a messenger, letter, etc.).
2 the act or an instance of killing; execution.
3 a an official written message on State or esp. military affairs. b a report sent in by a newspaper's correspondent, usu. from a foreign country.
4 promptness, efficiency (done with dispatch).
Phrases and idioms:
dispatch-box (or -case) a container for esp. official State or military documents or dispatches. dispatch-rider a motor cyclist or rider on horseback carrying military dispatches.
Derivatives:
dispatcher n.
Etymology: It. dispacciare or Sp. despachar expedite (as DIS-, It. impacciare and Sp. empachar hinder, of uncert. orig.)

dispatch (dispatches, dispatching, dispatched) Note: in BRIT, also use 'despatch' 1. If you dispatch someone to a place, you send them there for a particular reason. (FORMAL) He dispatched scouts ahead... The Italian government was preparing to dispatch 4,000 soldiers to search the island. = send VERB: V n adv/prep, V n to-inf • Dispatch is also a noun. The despatch of the task force is purely a contingency measure. N-UNCOUNT: usu N of n 2. If you dispatch a message, letter, or parcel, you send it to a particular person or destination. (FORMAL) The victory inspired him to dispatch a gleeful telegram to Roosevelt... Free gifts are dispatched separately so please allow 28 days for delivery. = send VERB: V n prep/adv, be V-ed, also V n • Dispatch is also a noun. We have 125 cases ready for dispatch. N-UNCOUNT 3. A dispatch is a special report that is sent to a newspaper or broadcasting organization by a journalist who is in a different town or country. ...this despatch from our West Africa correspondent. = bulletin N-COUNT 4. A dispatch is a message or report that is sent, for example, by army officers or government officials to their headquarters. I was carrying dispatches from the ambassador. N-COUNT 5. To dispatch a person or an animal means to kill them. (OLD-FASHIONED) The fox takes his chance with a pack of hounds which may catch him and despatch him immediately. VERB: V n

dispatch dɪsˈpætʃ v. & n. (also despatch) --v.tr. 1 send off to a destination or for a purpose (dispatched him with the message). 2 perform (business, a task, etc.) promptly; finish off. 3 kill, execute (dispatched him with the revolver). 4 colloq. eat (food, a meal, etc.) quickly. --n. 1 the act or an instance of sending (a messenger, letter, etc.). 2 the act or an instance of killing; execution. 3 a an official written message on State or esp. military affairs. b a report sent in by a newspaper's correspondent, usu. from a foreign country. 4 promptness, efficiency (done with dispatch). ødispatch-box (or -case) a container for esp. official State or military documents or dispatches. dispatch-rider a motor cyclist or rider on horseback carrying military dispatches. øødispatcher n. [It. dispacciare or Sp. despachar expedite (as DIS-, It. impacciare and Sp. empachar hinder, of uncert. orig.)]

Dispatch \Dis*patch"\, v. i. To make haste; to conclude an affair; to finish a matter of business. They have dispatched with Pompey. --Shak.

Dispatch \Dis*patch"\, n. [Cf. OF. despeche, F. d['e]p[^e]che. See Dispatch, v. t.] [Written also despatch.] 1. The act of sending a message or messenger in haste or on important business. 2. Any sending away; dismissal; riddance. To the utter dispatch of all their most beloved comforts. --Milton. 3. The finishing up of a business; speedy performance, as of business; prompt execution; diligence; haste. Serious business, craving quick dispatch. --Shak. To carry his scythe . . . with a sufficient dispatch through a sufficient space. --Paley. 4. A message dispatched or sent with speed; especially, an important official letter sent from one public officer to another; -- often used in the plural; as, a messenger has arrived with dispatches for the American minister; naval or military dispatches. 5. A message transmitted by telegraph. [Modern] Dispatch boat, a swift vessel for conveying dispatches; an advice boat. Dispatch box, a box for carrying dispatches; a box for papers and other conveniences when traveling. Syn: Haste; hurry; promptness; celerity; speed. See Haste.

Dispatch \Dis*patch"\ (?; 224), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dispatched; p. pr. & vb. n. Dispatching.] [OF. despeechier, F. d['e]p[^e]cher; prob. from pref. des- (L. dis-) + (assumed) LL. pedicare to place obstacles in the way, fr. L. pedica fetter, fr. pes, pedis, foot. See Foot, and cf. Impeach, Despatch.] [Written also despatch.] 1. To dispose of speedily, as business; to execute quickly; to make a speedy end of; to finish; to perform. Ere we put ourselves in arms, dispatch we The business we have talked of. --Shak. [The] harvest men . . . almost in one fair day dispatcheth all the harvest work. --Robynson (More's Utopia). 2. To rid; to free. [Obs.] I had clean dispatched myself of this great charge. --Udall. 3. To get rid of by sending off; to send away hastily. Unless dispatched to the mansion house in the country . . . they perish among the lumber of garrets. --Walpole. 4. To send off or away; -- particularly applied to sending off messengers, messages, letters, etc., on special business, and implying haste. Even with the speediest expedition I will dispatch him to the emperor's cou??. --Shak. 5. To send out of the world; to put to death. The company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords. --Ezek. xxiii. 47. Syn: To expedite; hasten; speed; accelerate; perform; conclude; finish; slay; kill.

dispatch n., v. a. See despatch.

dispatch dɪsˈpætʃ v. 1 send off or away or out, send on one's way: We dispatched a messenger with the parcel. 2 send, mail, post, transmit, forward, ship, express, remit, convey , Chiefly US and Canadian freight: Please dispatch this letter as quickly as possible. 3 kill, murder, slay, dispose of, put to death, execute, do away with, do in, assassinate,- liquidate, finish (off), put an end to, put away (for good), Slang polish off, bump off, eliminate, gun down, silence, get, erase, rub out, knock off, bury, US ice, hit, take for a ride, waste, zap: The gang soon dispatched all their rivals. 4 hasten, hurry, speed up, accelerate, get done, accomplish, get through, conclude, finish off, complete, execute, do: The task was dispatched in just two days. --n. 5 haste, speed, promptness, quickness, expedition, expeditiousness, celerity, alacrity, swiftness, hurry, rapidity: She concluded the interview with dispatch and sent me away. 6 communiqu÷, report, bulletin, story, news (item), communication, message, piece: document, instruction, missive: Here is a dispatch from our correspondent on Pitcairn Island. 7 execution, killing, murder, disposal, assassination, dispatching, slaying: The dispatch of the consul left us without a representative.

320 Moby Thesaurus words for "dispatch": accelerate, accomplish, accomplished fact, accomplishment, account, achieve, achievement, acknowledgment, acquaintance, address, administration, advice, agility, air speed, air-express, airfreight, airmail, alacrity, annihilate, announcement, answer, assassinate, assassination, attain, attainment, bane, bereave of life, billet, blood, bloodletting, bloodshed, blue book, braining, briefing, briskness, bulletin, bump off, bundle, bury, business letter, bustle, carry away, carry off, carrying out, celerity, chit, chloroform, commission, communication, communique, compass, complete, completion, conclude, conduct, consign, consume, consummate, consummation, convey, cope with, crowd, cut down, cut off, data, datum, deal with, dealing death, decisiveness, deprive of life, destroy, destruction, destruction of life, devour, directory, discharge, disposal, dispose of, do, do away with, do for, do in, do the job, do the trick, do to death, document, down, drive on, drop a letter, eat up, effect, effectuate, effectuation, eliminate, embark, embassy, enact, enactment, end, enlightenment, epistle, erase, euthanasia, evidence, execute, execution, expedite, expedition, expeditiousness, export, express, exterminate, extermination, facts, factual information, fait accompli, familiarization, fastness, favor, fetch, finish, finish off, flight, flit, flow of blood, flurry, forward, freight, fruition, fulfill, fulfillment, gen, general information, get, get away with, get done, get down, get through, goodwill, gore, ground speed, guidebook, gun down, handle, handling, handout, hard information, haste, hasten, hasten on, hie on, hit, hurry, hurry along, hurry on, hurry up, hustle, hustle up, ice, immediacy, immediateness, immolate, immolation, implementation, incidental information, info, information, ingest, instantaneousness, instruction, intelligence, kill, killing, knock off, knots, knowledge, lapidation, launch into eternity, lay, letter, light, lightning speed, line, liquidate, lynch, mail, make, make away with, manage, management, martyr, martyrdom, martyrization, martyrize, mention, mercy killing, message, miles per hour, mission accomplished, missive, murder, news item, nimbleness, note, notice, notification, perform, performance, perpetration, piece, pneumatogram, poison, poisoning, polish off, post, precipitate, precipitation, presentation, press, produce, production, promotional material, promptitude, promptness, proof, publication, publicity, punctuality, punctualness, purge, push, push on, push through, put away, put down, put to death, put to sleep, quicken, quickness, railroad through, rapidity, readiness, realization, realize, release, remit, remove from life, reply, report, rescript, ritual killing, ritual murder, round pace, route, rpm, rub out, rush, rush along, rustle, sacrifice, send, send away, send forth, send off, sharpness, ship, shooting, sidelight, silence, slaughter, slay, slaying, smartness, snappiness, speed, speed along, speed up, speediness, spryness, spur, stampede, starve, statement, stoning, story, succeed, success, summariness, surround, swallow, swift rate, swiftness, take care of, take down, take in, take life, take off, taking of life, telegram, the dope, the goods, the know, the scoop, transact, transaction, transmission, transmit, tuck in, turn the trick, urge, velocity, waste, whip, whip along, white book, white paper, word, work, work out, zap

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