Synonyms of dispatch

dispatch 1 of 2

verb

di-ˈspach 

1

as in to send

to cause to go or be taken from one place to another

dispatched a messenger with urgent news

Synonyms & Similar Words

• send
• ship
• transport
• transmit
• transfer
• pack (off)
• shoot
• deliver
• consign
• render
• convey
• address
• return
• launch
• forward
• pass
• import
• advance
• export
• present
• drop
• give
• hand over
• contribute
• donate
• bestow
• resend

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• receive
• accept
• obtain
• get
• secure
• acquire
• draw
• earn
• gain
• procure
• garner

2

as in to kill

to deprive of life

the exterminator dispatched the termites with professional efficiency

Synonyms & Similar Words

• kill
• destroy
• slay
• claim
• carry off
• take
• slaughter
• murder
• fell
• croak
• assassinate
• do for
• finish
• execute
• do away with
• cut down
• neutralize
• massacre
• butcher
• take out
• do in
• kill off
• make away with
• blot out
• waste
• annihilate
• put away
• off
• decimate
• snuff
• get
• terminate
• whack
• mow
• bump off
• ice
• smite
• rub out
• knock off
• scrag
• suicide
• put down
• euthanatize
• euthanize
• martyr

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• restore
• raise
• revive
• animate
• resurrect
• resuscitate
• nurture

3

as in to assassinate

to put to death deliberately

during his reign of terror the dictator dispatched thousands without the slightest qualm

Synonyms & Similar Words

• assassinate
• murder
• execute
• slay
• kill
• get
• neutralize
• take out
• terminate
• liquidate
• slaughter
• off
• put away
• shoot
• destroy
• snuff
• whack
• ice
• rub out
• bump off
• croak
• knock off
• do away with
• blow away
• do in
• claim
• cut down
• carry off
• shoot down
• blot out
• massacre
• butcher
• eliminate
• fell
• eradicate
• wipe out
• smite
• exterminate
• mow (down)
• zap
• annihilate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• restore
• raise
• revive
• resurrect
• animate
• resuscitate

4

as in to defeat

to achieve a victory over

they dispatched the other team without breaking a sweat

Synonyms & Similar Words

• defeat
• master
• overcome
• beat
• take
• worst
• get
• best
• stop
• conquer
• subdue
• triumph (over)
• get around
• get the better of
• win (against)
• prevail (over)
• surmount
• upend
• trim
• overmatch
• lick
• succeed
• overbear
• finish
• sweep
• slaughter
• do down
• knock for a loop
• skunk
• bury
• overwhelm
• blow out
• crush
• score
• bomb
• annihilate
• blow away
• better
• clobber
• surpass
• exceed
• rout
• snow under
• nose out
• upset
• whip
• edge (out)
• excel
• thrash
• overthrow
• pip
• trounce
• vanquish
• flatten
• smoke
• drub
• knock over
• wallop
• subjugate
• top
• flourish
• cream
• skin
• cap
• break
• wax
• transcend
• outstrip
• eclipse
• outdo
• overpower
• outdistance
• unseat
• outfight
• shellac
• outshine
• knock off
• ace (out)
• overtop

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lose (to)
• fall
• go down
• give up
• fail
• go under
• collapse
• fold
• wash out
• flunk
• flop

dispatch

2 of 2

noun

di-ˈspach 

1

as in letter

a message on paper from one person or group to another

a soldier sending daily dispatches to friends and family back home

Synonyms & Similar Words

• letter
• epistle
• note
• memo
• missive
• memorandum
• mail
• card
• communication
• report
• open letter
• postal card
• airmail
• electronic mail
• junk mail
• postcard
• e-mail
• billet-doux
• encyclical

2

as in message

a piece of conveyed information

a dispatch from headquarters regarding a change in battle plans

Synonyms & Similar Words

• message
• report
• letter
• communication
• news
• bulletin
• memo
• memorandum
• express
• notice
• communiqué
• note
• instruction
• electronic mail
• epistle
• command
• tidings
• order
• missive
• directive
• intelligence
• voice mail
• e-mail
• word

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dispatch

Verb

Meanwhile, Elon Musk, Trump’s aide-de-camp, has taken a chainsaw to the federal workforce, dispatching his deputies to storm agencies and fire workers who tried to stop his team from illegally downloading government data. —Julia Angwin, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2025

Communities such as Dawson Springs have been forced to reroute traffic, and additional barricades have been dispatched to areas like Elizabethtown to manage the crisis. —John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025

Noun

The first responders included in this dinner are all personnel of the sheriff, RSF Patrol, dispatch, ambulance and all six firehouses of the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District. —Rancho Santa Fe Rotary, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025

Anyone with information regarding Enriques is asked to contact Ada County nonemergency dispatch at 208-377-6790. —Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 5 Apr. 2025