dish out
Britishverb
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(tr, adverb) to distribute
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to inflict punishment
he can't take it, but he can sure dish it out
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Deal out, dispense, as in He dishes out advice to one and all . This expression alludes to serving food from a dish. ] Colloquial ; first half of 1600s]
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dish it out . Dispense abuse or punishment, as in He can dish it out with the best of them, but he can't take it . [ Slang ; c. 1930]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Traffic to fast-food chains began to fall in 2024, prompting McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Burger King and other companies to dish out more deals.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
But they have now added strong away performances to their armoury, with a solid defensive display on Tuesday allowing Jens Petter Hauge and Hakon Evjen to dish out two sucker punches.
From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026
The Prince of Wales, who is the regiment's colonel, was also on hand to dish out dessert to the junior ranks at Combermere Barracks in Windsor on Thursday.
From BBC • Dec. 12, 2025
He could dish out compliments, but he was often too insecure to take them.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2025
I went back to the kitchen and started to dish out the rice.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
