verb, -pensed, -pens⋅ing, noun | 1. | to deal out; distribute: to dispense wisdom. |
| 2. | to administer: to dispense the law without bias. |
| 3. | Pharmacology. to make up and distribute (medicine), esp. on prescription. |
| 4. | Roman Catholic Church. to grant dispensation. |
| 5. | to grant dispensation. |
| 6. | Obsolete. expenditure. |
| 7. | dispense with,
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dis·pense (dĭ-spěns') v. dis·pensed, dis·pens·ing, dis·pens·es v. tr.
To grant a dispensation or exemption. Phrasal Verb(s): dispense with
[Middle English dispensen, from Old French dispenser, from Latin dispēnsāre, to distribute, frequentative of dispendere, to weigh out : dis-, out; see dis- + pendere, to weigh; see (s)pen- in Indo-European roots.] |
dispense dis·pense (dĭ-spěns')
v. dis·pensed, dis·pens·ing, dis·pens·es
To prepare and give out medicines.
dispense with
Manage without, forgo, as in We can dispense with the extra help. Shakespeare had this idiom in Timon of Athens (3:2): "Men must learn now with pity to dispense." ]c. 1600]
Get rid of, do away with, as in The European Union is trying to dispense with tariff barriers. [Late 1500s]
Exempt one from a law, promise, or obligation, as in He asked the court to dispense with swearing on the Bible. This usage originally applied to religious obligations (to which the Pope granted dispensation). [Early 1500s]