DISPENSE

Pronunciation (US):

• DISPENSE (verb)
  The verb DISPENSE has 3 senses:

1. administer or bestow, as in small portions
2. grant a dispensation; grant an exemption
3. give or apply (medications)

  Familiarity information: DISPENSE used as a verb is uncommon.

• DISPENSE (verb)

Meaning:

Administer or bestow, as in small portions

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

shell out; parcel out; mete out; dole out; distribute; dispense; dish out; deal out; lot; allot; administer; deal

Context examples:

administer critical remarks to everyone present / dole out some money / shell out pocket money for the children / deal a blow to someone

Hypernyms (to "dispense" is one way to...):

give (transfer possession of something concrete or abstract to somebody)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "dispense"):

allot; assign; portion (give out or allot)

reallot (allot again)

deal (distribute to the players in a game)

apply; give (give or convey physically)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something to somebody

Meaning:

Grant a dispensation; grant an exemption

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Context example:

I was dispensed from this terrible task

Hypernyms (to "dispense" is one way to...):

exempt; free; relieve (grant relief or an exemption from a rule or requirement to)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody PP

Also:

dispense with (do without or cease to hold or adhere to)

Meaning:

Give or apply (medications)

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

dispense; administer

Hypernyms (to "dispense" is one way to...):

care for; treat (provide treatment for)

"Dispense" entails doing...:

apply; give (give or convey physically)

Domain category:

medicine; practice of medicine (the learned profession that is mastered by graduate training in a medical school and that is devoted to preventing or alleviating or curing diseases and injuries)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "dispense"):

transfuse (give a transfusion (e.g., of blood) to)

digitalize (administer digitalis such that the patient benefits maximally without getting adverse effects)

inject; shoot (give an injection to)

give (give (as medicine))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something to somebody