dispose

American  

[dih-spohz] / dɪˈspoʊz /

verb (used with object)

disposed, disposing

1. to give a tendency or inclination to; incline.

   His temperament disposed him to argue readily with people.

2. to put in a particular or the proper order or arrangement; adjust by arranging the parts.

3. to put in a particular or suitable place.

   The lamp was disposed on a table nearby.

4. to make fit or ready; prepare.

   Your words of cheer dispose me for the task.

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verb (used without object)

disposed, disposing

1. to arrange or decide matters.

   to do as God disposes.

2. Obsolete. to make terms.

noun

1. Archaic. disposition; habit.

2. Obsolete. arrangement; regulation; disposal.

verb phrase

1. dispose of

   1. to deal with conclusively; settle.

   2. to get rid of; discard.

   3. to transfer or give away, as by gift or sale.

   4. to do away with; destroy.

dispose British  

/ dɪˈspəʊz /

verb

1. 1. to deal with or settle

   2. to give, sell, or transfer to another

   3. to throw out or away

   4. to consume, esp hurriedly

   5. to kill

2. to arrange or settle (matters) by placing into correct or final condition

   man proposes, God disposes

3. (tr) to make willing or receptive

4. (tr) to adjust or place in a certain order or position

5. to accustom or condition

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noun

1. an obsolete word for disposal disposition

Other Word Forms

• disposer noun
• disposingly adverb
• redispose verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of dispose

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French disposer, equivalent to dis- dis- ¹ + poser “to place” ( see pose ¹), on the model of Latin dispōnere

Explanation

If you dispose of something, you get rid of it. Don't want that sweatshirt with the clown's face on it? Give it away, throw it out, even sell it — these are all ways to dispose of that awful shirt. The verb dispose comes from the Latin word disponere, meaning “put in order,” “arrange,” or “distribute" — like when you dispose volunteers to collect trash at a park. The word of usually follows dispose when it means "getting rid of something." Another meaning is "make willing or open to something," like your childhood love of reading that disposes you to becoming a life-long reader.

Example Sentences

“It is unacceptable and illegal for a business to sell or dispose of these vehicles without abiding by the laws that protect servicemembers.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

How will the factories store and dispose of toxic waste?

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Following the debt-for-equity exchange, Western Digital is expected to own around 1.7 million Sandisk shares, which it intends to dispose of either via exchanges for its own stock or distributions to its shareholders.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

Customers who have purchased the recalled chocolates are advised not to consume them and to dispose of them immediately.

From Salon • Jan. 27, 2026

Somehow Ellsworth had blundered—either through carelessness or a clerical error—and didn’t pay $480 that was owed, and as contractually agreed upon, the company had the right to dispose of the storage room’s contents.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• adapt
• incline
• predispose
• tempt