dispose of

1. Get rid of, throw out, as in Can we dispose of the trash in this barrel? Oliver Goldsmith had this idiom in She Stoops to Conquer (1773): “I'm disposing of the husband before I have secured the lover.” [Mid-1600s]

2. Kill or destroy; also, humorously, consume. For example, The king was determined to dispose of his enemies , or John disposed of the cake in no time . [Second half of 1800s]

3. Attend to, settle, deal with, as in He quickly disposed of the problem . [Early 1600s]

4. Transfer, part with, as by giving away or selling. For example, They wanted to dispose of the land as soon as possible . [Second half of 1600s]

Example Sentences

After being questioned, the suspect showed detectives where he had disposed of Ms Michalski's body, the police statement said.

From BBC

For residents who prefer to dispose of their crop, the food and agriculture department recommends double-bagging it and placing it in the regular trash, not the green waste bin.

From Los Angeles Times

In Adwa, officials who lack options to safely dispose of explosives carry them back at great personal risk to store them haphazardly in the compound of the town’s peace and security office.

From BBC

But a father or husband has free rein to dispose of his female property as he will.

From Salon

Earlier that day, 27-year-old Christina Vale had been arrested and charged with breaking and entering and disposing of stolen property, police say.

From BBC

Related Words

• destroy
• discard
• dump
• eliminate
• get rid of
• relinquish
• scrap
• sell
• unload