- 1dispense something (to somebody) (formal) to give out something to people The machine dispenses a range of drinks and snacks.
- 2dispense something (to somebody) (formal) to provide something, especially a service, for people The organization dispenses free health care to the poor. to dispense justice/advice
- 3dispense something to prepare medicine and give it to people, as a job to dispense a prescription (British English) to dispense medicine (British English) a dispensing chemist Wordfindermedicineadminister, capsule, dispense, dose, ill, inhaler, medicine, medication, pharmacy, placebo See related entries: Medical equipment Word Originlate Middle English: via Old French from Latin dispensare ‘continue to weigh out or disburse’, from the verb dispendere, based on pendere ‘weigh’.Extra examples He dispensed hospitality lavishly in an effort to win votes. He was responsible for dispensing justice on the island. His employer had decided to dispense with his services. It is illegal to dispense drugs to children under sixteen. Let’s dispense with the formalities and get straight down to business. Once you are more confident walking again, you can dispense with the walking stick. Only qualified pharmacists can dispense prescriptions. A pharmacist will never dispense a prescription unless he or she knows it is genuine. His role is to dispense advice and control the budget. The ethanol should be available from any dispensing chemist. Phrasal Verbsdispense with
dispense
verbBrE BrE//dɪˈspens//; NAmE NAmE//dɪˈspens//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they dispense BrE BrE//dɪˈspens//; NAmE NAmE//dɪˈspens//
he / she / it dispenses BrE BrE//dɪˈspensɪz//; NAmE NAmE//dɪˈspensɪz//
past simple dispensed BrE BrE//dɪˈspenst//; NAmE NAmE//dɪˈspenst//
past participle dispensed BrE BrE//dɪˈspenst//; NAmE NAmE//dɪˈspenst//
-ing form dispensing BrE BrE//dɪˈspensɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//dɪˈspensɪŋ//
Medical equipmentCheck pronunciation: dispense
