Dispatch — Defs

01 v. t. To dispose of speedily, as business; to execute quickly; to make a speedy end of; to finish; to perform.

imp. & p. p. Dispatched; p. pr. & vb. n. Dispatching

1.
To dispose of speedily, as business; to execute quickly; to make a speedy end of; to finish; to perform.
“Ere we put ourselves in arms, dispatch we The business we have talked of.” — Shak.

“[The] harvest men . . . almost in one fair day dispatcheth all the harvest work.” — Robynson (More's Utopia).
2.
To rid; to free.[Obs.]
“I had clean dispatched myself of this great charge.” — Udall.
3.
To get rid of by sending off; to send away hastily.
“Unless dispatched to the mansion house in the country . . . they perish among the lumber of garrets.” — Walpole.
4.
To send off or away; -- particularly applied to sending off messengers, messages, letters, etc., on special business, and implying haste.
“Even with the speediest expedition I will dispatch him to the emperor's cou��.” — Shak.
5.
To send out of the world; to put to death.
“The company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords.” — Ezek. xxiii. 47.

Syn. To expedite; hasten; speed; accelerate; perform; conclude; finish; slay; kill.

02 v. i. To make haste; to conclude an affair; to finish a matter of business.

1.
To make haste; to conclude an affair; to finish a matter of business.
“They have dispatched with Pompey.” — Shak.

03 n. The act of sending a message or messenger in haste or on important business.

1.
The act of sending a message or messenger in haste or on important business.
2.
Any sending away; dismissal; riddance.
“To the utter dispatch of all their most beloved comforts.” — Milton.
3.
The finishing up of a business; speedy performance, as of business; prompt execution; diligence; haste.
“Serious business, craving quick dispatch.” — Shak.

“To carry his scythe . . . with a sufficient dispatch through a sufficient space.” — Paley.
4.
A message dispatched or sent with speed; especially, an important official letter sent from one public officer to another; -- often used in the plural; as, a messenger has arrived with dispatches for the American minister; naval or military dispatches.
5.
A message transmitted by telegraph.[Modern]

Phrases & compounds

Dispatch boat — a swift vessel for conveying dispatches; an advice boat.

Dispatch box — a box for carrying dispatches; a box for papers and other conveniences when traveling.

Syn. Haste; hurry; promptness; celerity; speed. See Haste.