- (transitive) to give out or issue in portions
- (transitive) to prepare and distribute (medicine), esp on prescription
- (transitive) to administer (the law, etc)
- (intransitive) followed by with: to do away (with) or manage (without)
- to grant a dispensation to (someone) from some obligation of church law
- to exempt or excuse from a rule or obligation
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
dis•pense /dɪˈspɛns/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object], -pensed, -pens•ing.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to deal out;
distribute:dispensed the money to charity. - to administer:to dispense the law without bias.
- Drugsto make up and distribute (medicine), esp. on prescription:a license to dispense drugs.
- dispense with, [ ~ + with + obj] to do away with;
get rid of:Can we dispense with the formalities?
dis•pense
(di spens′),USA pronunciation v., -pensed, -pens•ing, n.
v.t.
v.i.
n.
v.t.
- to deal out;
distribute:to dispense wisdom. - to administer:to dispense the law without bias.
- Drugs[Pharm.]to make up and distribute (medicine), esp. on prescription.
- Religion[Rom. Cath. Ch.]to grant dispensation.
v.i.
- to grant dispensation.
- dispense with:
- to do without;
forgo:to dispense with preliminaries. - to do away with;
rid of. - to grant exemption from a law or promise.
- to do without;
n.
- [Obs.]expenditure.
- Medieval Latin dispēnsāre to pardon, exempt, Latin: to pay out, distribute, equivalent. to dis- dis-1 + pēnsāre, frequentative of pendere to weigh
- Middle English dispensen 1275–1325
- 1. apportion, allot, dole. See distribute.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
dispense /dɪˈspɛns/ vb
'dispense' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
administer
- chop
- dispensation
- distribute
- druggist
- pharmacist
- secularize
- spend
- canteen
- deal
- dish
- dispend
- dispensable
- dispensary
- dispensator
- dispensatory
- dispenser
- do
- dollop
- excuse
- jerk
- kiss
- nemesis
- nurse
- ooze
- peddle
- propellant
- waive
- shake
- spare
- spence