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dis·patch also des·patch  (dĭ-spăch)
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Tweet tr.v. dis·patched, dis·patch·ing, dis·patch·es also des·patched, des·patch·ing, des·patch·es 1. To relegate to a specific destination or send on specific business. See Synonyms at send1. 2. a. To complete, transact, or dispose of promptly: dispatch an errand. b. To eat up (food); finish off (a dish or meal). 3. To put to death summarily. n. 1. The act of sending off, as to a specific destination. 2. Dismissal or rejection of something regarded as unimportant or unworthy of consideration: "[his] breezy dispatch of another Establishment fiction writer" (Christopher Hitchens). 3. The act of putting to death. 4. Speed in performance or movement. See Synonyms at haste. 5. (also dĭspăch′) a. A written message, particularly an official communication, sent with speed. b. An important message sent by a diplomat or an officer in the armed forces. c. A news item sent to a news organization, as by a correspondent. [Spanish despachar or Italian dispacciare, both probably ultimately from Old Provençal empachar, to impede, from Vulgar Latin *impāctāre, frequentative of Latin impingere, to dash against; see IMPINGE.] |
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