dispose of

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English < Middle French disposer, equivalent to dis- dis-¹ + poser to place (see pose¹), on the model of Latin dispōnere

Related forms

dis·pos·ing·ly, adverb

re·dis·pose, verb (used with object), re·dis·posed, re·dis·pos·ing.

Can be confused: disperse, disburse, dispose.

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

dispose (dɪˈspəʊz)

—vb (foll by of) (often foll by to)
1.	a. to deal with or settle
	b. to give, sell, or transfer to another
	c. to throw out or away
	d. to consume, esp hurriedly
	e. to kill
2.	to arrange or settle (matters) by placing into correct or final condition: man proposes, God disposes
3.	(tr) to make willing or receptive
4.	(tr) to adjust or place in a certain order or position
5.	to accustom or condition

—n
6.	disposal an obsolete word for disposition

[C14: from Old French disposer, from Latin dispōnere to set in different places, arrange, from dis-¹ + pōnere to place]

dis'poser

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

dispose

mid-14c., from O.Fr. disposer (infl. by poser "to place"), from O.Fr. despondre, from L. disponere "put in order, arrange," from dis- "apart" + ponere "to put, place" (see position).

Slang Dictionary

dispose of (so) definition

in.
to kill someone. : The boss ordered Max to dispose of Lefty.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

dispose of

Attend to, settle, deal with, as in He quickly disposed of the problem. [Early 1600s]
Transfer, part with, as by giving away or selling. For example, They wanted to dispose of the land as soon as possible. [Second half of 1600s]
Get rid of, throw out, as in Can we dispose of the trash in this barrel? Oliver Goldsmith had this idiom in She Stoops to Conquer (1773): "I'm disposing of the husband before I have secured the lover." [Mid-1600s]
Kill or destroy; also, humorously, consume. For example, The king was determined to dispose of his enemies, or John disposed of the cake in no time. [Second half of 1800s]

Matching Quote

"The traveller, however virginal and enthusiastic, does not enjoy an unbroken ecstasy. He has periods of gloom, periods when he asks himself the object of all these exertions, and puts the question whether or not he is really experiencing pleasure. At such times he suspects that he is not seeing the right things, that the characteristic, the right aspects of these strange scenes are escaping him. He looks forward dully to the days of his holiday yet to pass, and wonders how he will dispose of them. He is disgusted because his money is not more, his command of the language so slight, and his capacity for enjoyment so limited."

-Arnold Bennett

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