Adjacent Words

Dispense definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DISPENSE, v.t. dispens. [L., to weigh, primarily to move; and perhaps the original idea of expending was to weigh off, or to distribute by weight.]
1. To deal or divide out in parts or portions; to distribute. The steward dispenses provisions to every man, according to his directions. The society dispenses medicines to the poor gratuitously or at first cost. God dispenses his favors according to his good pleasure.
2. To administer; to apply, as laws to particular cases; to distribute justice.
While you dispense the laws and guide the state.
To dispense with,
1. To permit not to take effect; to neglect or pass by; to suspend the operation or application of something required, established or customary; as, to dispense with the law, in favor of a friend; I cannot dispense with the conditions of the covenant. So we say, to dispense with oaths; to dispense with forms and ceremonies.
2. To excuse from; to give leave not to do or observe what is required or commanded. The court will dispense with your attendance, or with you compliance.
3. To permit the want of a thing which is useful or convenient; or in the vulgar phrase, to do without. I can dispense with your services. I can dispense with my cloke. In this application, the phrase has an allusion to the requisitions of law or necessity; the thing dispensed with being supposed, in some degree, necessary or required.
I could not dispense with myself from making a voyage to Caprea. [Not to be imitated.]
Canst thou dispense with heaven for such an oath? [Not legitimate.]
DISPENSE, n. Dispens.
1. Dispensation. [Not used.]
2. Expense; profusion. [Not in use.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: administer or bestow, as in small portions; "administer critical remarks to everyone present"; "dole out some money"; "shell out pocket money for the children"; "deal a blow to someone"; "the machine dispenses soft drinks" [syn: distribute, administer, mete out, deal, parcel out, lot, dispense, shell out, deal out, dish out, allot, dole out]
2: grant a dispensation; grant an exemption; "I was dispensed from this terrible task"
3: give or apply (medications) [syn: administer, dispense]

Merriam Webster's

verb (dispensed; dispensing) Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin & Latin; Medieval Latin dispensare to exempt, from Latin, to distribute, from dis- + pensare to weigh, frequentative of pendere to weigh, pay out — more at spin Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. a. to deal out in portions b. administer <dispense justice> 2. to give dispensation to ; exempt 3. to prepare and distribute (medication) intransitive verb archaic to grant dispensation Synonyms: see distribute

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. 1 tr. distribute; deal out. 2 tr. administer (a sacrament, justice, etc.). 3 tr. make up and give out (medicine etc.) according to a doctor's prescription. 4 tr. (usu. foll. by from) grant a dispensation to (a person) from an obligation, esp. a religious observance. 5 intr. (foll. by with) a do without; render needless. b give exemption from (a rule). Phrases and idioms: dispensing chemist a chemist qualified to make up and give out medicine etc. Etymology: ME f. OF despenser f. L dispensare frequent. of dispendere weigh or pay out (as DIS-, pendere pens- weigh)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Dispense Dis*pense", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dispensed; p. pr. & vb. n. Dispensing.] [F. dispenser, L. dispensare, intens. of dispendere. See Dispend.] 1. To deal out in portions; to distribute; to give; as, the steward dispenses provisions according directions; Nature dispenses her bounties; to dispense medicines. He is delighted to dispense a share of it to all the company. --Sir W. Scott. 2. To apply, as laws to particular cases; to administer; to execute; to manage; to direct. While you dispense the laws, and guide the state. --Dryden. 3. To pay for; to atone for. [Obs.] His sin was dispensed With gold, whereof it was compensed. --Gower. 4. To exempt; to excuse; to absolve; -- with from. It was resolved that all members of the House who held commissions, should be dispensed from parliamentary attendance. --Macaulay. He appeared to think himself born to be supported by others, and dispensed from all necessity of providing for himself. --Johnson.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Dispense Dis*pense", v. i. 1. To compensate; to make up; to make amends. [Obs.] One loving hour For many years of sorrow can dispense. --Spenser. 2. To give dispensation. He [the pope] can also dispense in all matters of ecclesiastical law. --Addis & Arnold (Cath. Dict. ) To dispense with. (a) To permit the neglect or omission of, as a form, a ceremony, an oath; to suspend the operation of, as a law; to give up, release, or do without, as services, attention, etc.; to forego; to part with. (b) To allow by dispensation; to excuse; to exempt; to grant dispensation to or for. [Obs.] ``Conniving and dispensing with open and common adultery.'' --Milton. (c) To break or go back from, as one's word. [Obs.] --Richardson.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Dispense Dis*pense", n. [Cf. F. dispense dispensation. See Dispense, v. t.] Dispensation; exemption. [Obs.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Dispense Dis*pense", n. [OF. despense, F. d['e]pense.] Expense; profusion; outlay. [Obs.] It was a vault built for great dispense. --Spenser.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(dispenses, dispensing, dispensed) 1. If someone dispenses something that they own or control, they give or provide it to a number of people. (FORMAL) The Union had already dispensed £40,000 in grants... I thought of myself as a patriarch, dispensing words of wisdom to all my children. VERB: V n, V n to n 2. If you obtain a product by getting it out of a machine, you can say that the machine dispenses the product. For two weeks, the cash machine was unable to dispense money. VERB: V n 3. When a chemist dispenses medicine, he or she prepares it, and gives or sells it to the patient or customer. Some shops gave wrong or inadequate advice when dispensing homeopathic medicines... Doctors confine themselves to prescribing rather than dispensing. VERB: V n, V, also V n to n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Distribute, apportion, allot, deal out. 2. Administer, apply, execute, carry out. 3. Exempt, release, relieve, excuse.

Moby Thesaurus

OK, abolish, abstain from, accord, administer, admit, afford, allocate, allot, allow, apply, apportion, assign, award, bestow, bestow on, bestrew, broadcast, cancel, carry out, circumfuse, communicate, conduct, confer, consent, deal, deal out, diffract, diffuse, direct, disburse, discharge, dish out, dispense with, disperse, dispose, dispose of, dispread, disseminate, distribute, diverge, divide, divvy, do away with, do without, dole, dole out, donate, eliminate, enforce, eschew, execute, extend, fan out, forgo, fork out, forswear, furnish, get rid of, gift, gift with, give, give away, give freely, give leave, give out, give permission, give the go-ahead, give the word, give up, grant, hand out, hawk, heap, help to, huckster, ignore, impart, implement, issue, lavish, leave, let, let have, make possible, measure, measure out, mete, mete out, offer, okay, operate, overscatter, oversow, overspread, parcel out, pass around, pass out, pay out, peddle, permit, portion out, pour, present, proffer, propagate, provide, publish, radiate, rain, refuse, reject, release, relinquish, remove, render, renounce, retail, say the word, scatter, serve, share out, shell out, shower, slip, snow, sow, sow broadcast, spare, splay, spoon out, spread, spread out, strew, superintend, supervise, supply, tender, utter, vend, vouchsafe, waive, yield