dispose
Americanverb (used with object)
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to give a tendency or inclination to; incline.
His temperament disposed him to argue readily with people.
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to put in a particular or the proper order or arrangement; adjust by arranging the parts.
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to put in a particular or suitable place.
The lamp was disposed on a table nearby.
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to make fit or ready; prepare.
Your words of cheer dispose me for the task.
verb (used without object)
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to arrange or decide matters.
to do as God disposes.
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Obsolete. to make terms.
noun
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Archaic. disposition; habit.
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Obsolete. arrangement; regulation; disposal.
verb phrase
verb
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to deal with or settle
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to give, sell, or transfer to another
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to throw out or away
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to consume, esp hurriedly
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to kill
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to arrange or settle (matters) by placing into correct or final condition
man proposes, God disposes
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(tr) to make willing or receptive
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(tr) to adjust or place in a certain order or position
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to accustom or condition
noun
Other Word Forms
- disposer noun
- disposingly adverb
- redispose verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of dispose
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French disposer, equivalent to dis- dis- 1 + poser “to place” ( pose 1 ), on the model of Latin dispōnere
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Another “thought they might be deceptive spirits, disposed to make sport of us.”
From Literature
The women had received several tip-offs that a body may have been disposed of in the field, but after hours in the midday sun, they found nothing but animal bones.
From BBC
They are then supposed to use them to dispose of their recyclables in one of two large purple containers outside.
From BBC
Part of that included disposing of glowing dials, which were made using radium-226.
From BBC
The complaint alleges that the city’s practice of seizing and disposing of property violates the 4th Amendment’s protection against illegal search and seizure and the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of due process.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
