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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word dispatch distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of dispatch are assassinate, execute, kill, murder, and slay. While all these words mean "to deprive of life," dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

When might assassinate be a better fit than dispatch?

While the synonyms assassinate and dispatch are close in meaning, assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

When could execute be used to replace dispatch?

The synonyms execute and dispatch are sometimes interchangeable, but execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

Where would kill be a reasonable alternative to dispatch?

In some situations, the words kill and dispatch are roughly equivalent. However, kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident
frost killed the plants

When is it sensible to use murder instead of dispatch?

The words murder and dispatch are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

When is slay a more appropriate choice than dispatch?

The meanings of slay and dispatch largely overlap; however, slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dispatch
Verb
The investigation began when CT were dispatched to Stop and Shop on Fenn Road on Oct. 28, 2024 to check the welfare of an adult female, police said. Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 20 Jan. 2025 This included dispatching his pick for special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, to exert pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move forward with the deal. Laura Kelly, The Hill, 17 Jan. 2025
Noun
The department encouraged anyone who sees a mountain lion to contact Colorado Parks and Wildlife, or call 911 to have dispatch connect you to someone at the wildlife agency. Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman, 13 Jan. 2025 The app pulls its wildfire information from official government reports, volunteer reporters, and 911 dispatch calls which are then vetted and monitored using radio scanners, wildlife cameras, satellites, and local announcements from law enforcement and fire services. Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 9 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for dispatch 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispatch
Verb
  • Bride Screams at Guests for Refusing to Use Single Taxi She Hired to Take 100 People Home: 'Would Have Waited for Hours' To make matters worse, the couple never technically sent them an invitation.
    Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 16 Jan. 2025
  • In a recent episode, a viewer sent Zarco her Mimi’s lemon squares recipe from 1992, along with a note and some fabulous photos of her relative.
    Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 16 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • But some believe the same elements behind the older Kennedy’s assassination also killed the former senator.
    Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Teen shooter kills student, then himself at Nashville high school In: South Carolina Lucia Suarez Sang Lucia Suarez Sang is an associate managing editor at CBSNews.com.
    Lucia Suarez Sang, CBS News, 24 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Garfield was assassinated by a disgruntled and delusional office-seeker named Charles Guiteau.
    Mo Rocca, CBS News, 26 Jan. 2025
  • The mountain’s name will revert to Mount McKinley, named for William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States, who was assassinated on September 14, 1901.
    Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 24 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • In a nearly a three-hour match Friday in Melbourne, Vekić defeated No. 12 seed Diana Shnaider 7-6 (4), 6-7 (3), 7-5 to advance to the round of 16.
    Jill Martin, CNN, 17 Jan. 2025
  • But the white population usually defeats the preferred candidate of Black voters.
    Cheyanne M. Daniels, The Hill, 17 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The petition came after the brothers’ attorney submitted new evidence, including a letter purportedly written by Erik Menendez to his cousin, which alludes to alleged abuse uncovered by Robert Rand, a journalist who covered the case since its inception and author of The Menendez Murders.
    N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2025
  • Trump’s attorneys filed a cease-and-desist letter to the filmmakers and threatened to sue over future marketing or distribution of the movie.
    Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Additionally, campaigns were grounded in scientific evidence, conveying the message that while no tobacco product is completely safe, switching to alternatives lowers health risks, such as lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
    Markus Lindblad, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
  • The Washington Post also reported on Friday that similar messages went out at other agencies and departments starting on Thursday.
    Kristin Brown, CBS News, 24 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The video was released Sunday by a law firm representing a woman whose house was destroyed by the fire and is suing Southern California Edison, the primary electrical utility for Los Angeles.
    Michelle Watson, CNN, 27 Jan. 2025
  • By the time the show opened on Friday, the Eaton Fire, which is now 95 percent contained, had burned over 14,000 acres and destroyed over 9,000 structures in Altadena, Pasadena, and other areas nearby.
    Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 27 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • King Charles Makes History with Emotional Visit to Auschwitz for Holocaust Memorial Day: 'A Sacred Moment' Holocaust Memorial Day honors the lives of the six million Jewish people who were murdered during the Holocaust, the millions killed under Nazi persecution and during subsequent genocides.
    Janine Henni, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
  • In Los Angeles, Miami and New York, killers have targeted and murdered groups of homeless people in a matter of days.
    Leah Goodridge, TIME, 27 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near dispatch

Cite this Entry

“Dispatch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispatch. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

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