# dispatch

/dɪˈspætʃ/ (US) · /dɪspˈætʃ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/dispatch
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to send goods or people

verb · CEFR B2

to send a person, a message, or a package to a specific place for a reason.

For teachers: to send off a person, message, or shipment to a specific destination for a particular purpose. Transitive; requires a direct object.

- The company will dispatch your order as soon as they receive the payment.
- The rescue center decided to dispatch a helicopter to the remote mountainside after receiving the distress signal from the stranded hikers.

### 2. to complete quickly

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to deal with a task or a problem quickly and effectively.

For teachers: to dispose of a task, business matter, or opponent with speed and efficiency.

- She dispatched the morning's emails in less than an hour.
- The champion dispatched his opponent in the first round, demonstrating a level of technical skill that left the commentators speechless.

### 3. to kill

verb · CEFR C1 · Literary · Formal

to kill a person or animal quickly.

For teachers: to put to death or execute with speed and efficiency. Often used in a clinical or detached manner.

- The hunter dispatched the injured deer to end its suffering.
- In the final chapter of the novel, the protagonist dispatches the villain with a single, decisive blow before escaping the crumbling castle.

### 4. computing

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical

to send a task or data to a specific part of a computer to be processed.

For teachers: to assign a process or task to a specific resource, such as a CPU or a handler, for execution.

- The operating system must dispatch tasks to the processor efficiently.
- The kernel uses a sophisticated algorithm to dispatch threads to available cores, ensuring optimal load balancing across the system.

### 5. an official report

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

an important report or message sent by a journalist or a government official.

For teachers: an official report or communication sent with speed, typically by a diplomat, military officer, or news correspondent.

- The war correspondent sent a daily dispatch from the front lines.
- The ambassador's secret dispatch reached the ministry just hours before the peace treaty was scheduled to be signed.

### 6. speed and efficiency

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

the act of doing something very quickly.

For teachers: promptness and efficiency in performance or transmission.

- The government acted with great dispatch to provide aid after the flood.
- The board of directors appreciated the dispatch with which the legal team resolved the potential merger conflict.

## Examples

- The company will dispatch your order tomorrow morning.
- The emergency operator had to dispatch an ambulance to the scene of the accident immediately.
- In response to the sudden civil unrest, the government decided to dispatch a diplomatic envoy to negotiate a peaceful resolution before the situation escalated further.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.