dispense

American  

[dih-spens] / dɪˈspɛns /

verb (used with object)

dispenses, present (3rd person singular) dispensed, past participle, past dispensing present participle

1. to deal out; distribute.

   to dispense wisdom.

   Synonyms:

   dole, allot, apportion

2. to administer.

   to dispense the law without bias.

3. Pharmacology. to make up and distribute (medicine), especially on prescription.

4. Roman Catholic Church. to grant dispensation.

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verb (used without object)

dispenses, present (3rd person singular) dispensed, past participle, past dispensing present participle

1. to grant dispensation.

noun

1. Obsolete. expenditure.

verb phrase

1. dispense with

   1. to do without; forgo.

      to dispense with preliminaries.

   2. to do away with; rid of.

   3. to grant exemption from a law or promise.

dispense British  

/ dɪˈspɛns /

verb

1. (tr) to give out or issue in portions

2. (tr) to prepare and distribute (medicine), esp on prescription

3. (tr) to administer (the law, etc)

4. to do away (with) or manage (without)

5. to grant a dispensation to (someone) from (some obligation of church law)

6. to exempt or excuse from a rule or obligation

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Usage

Dispense with is sometimes wrongly used where dispose of is meant: this task can be disposed of (not dispensed with ) quickly and easily

Synonym Usage

See distribute.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• undispensed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• dispensing
  present
• dispensed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• dispense
  simple
• dispenses
  simple
• have dispensed
  perfect
• has dispensed
  perfect
• am dispensing
  progressive
• are dispensing
  progressive
• is dispensing
  progressive
• have been dispensing
  perfect progressive
• has been dispensing
  perfect progressive

Past

• dispensed
  simple
• had dispensed
  perfect
• was dispensing
  progressive
• were dispensing
  progressive
• had been dispensing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will dispense
  simple
• will have dispensed
  perfect
• will be dispensing
  progressive
• will have been dispensing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of dispense

1275–1325; Middle English dispensen < Medieval Latin dispēnsāre to pardon, exempt, Latin: to pay out, distribute, equivalent to dis- dis- ¹ + pēnsāre, frequentative of pendere to weigh

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

And he wouldn't argue with the fact that it is far easier to console and dispense advice to virtual children - and yet he finds some comfort in the trend.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026

These grandmothers have loads of experience, and some wisdom to go with it, but they do not lurk in the background waiting for their cue to dispense it.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

“The right to assistance of counsel and the correlative right to dispense with a lawyer’s help are not legal formalisms,” the court added.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

Because those peptides aren’t components of an approved drug and don’t carry a USP monograph, compounders weren’t allowed to dispense them anyway.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

Most academics can effortlessly dispense this kind of sludge, and many students, like Zonker Harris in this Doonesbury cartoon, acquire the skill without having to be taught.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• allocate
• allot
• disburse
• distribute
• furnish
• give away
• hand out