5 meanings
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1 —as in:
dispose of the waste
Definition
to throw away- How will they dispose of the waste?
dispose = throw away (get rid of)
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- What is the best way to responsibly dispose of old electronic equipment.
- I put it in the garbage disposal.
- The contents would be disposed of by Hans as prudently as possible.Markus Zusak -- The Book Thief
- He had, of course, disposed of the apple and made his apology to the Recreation Director the next morning, before school.Lois Lowry -- The Giver
- The disposal of sewage and wasteLauren Oliver -- Delirium
- My job was to pick the piles up and dispose of them.Kaye Gibbons -- Ellen Foster
- If it were possible, the car looked worse than before—like a toy that someone had wedged down the sink and run through the garbage disposal.Alexandra Bracken -- The Darkest Minds
- The implications that I could so readily dispose of Peeta, that I'm in love with Gale, that the whole thing has been an act.Suzanne Collins -- Mockingjay
- Cousin Joshua was frustrated by the authorities when he fired upon the president of the University, who in his opinion was little more than a sewage disposal expert.Harper Lee -- Go Set a Watchman
dispose = throw away
disposal = to throw away (or get rid of)
disposed = thrown away
disposed = thrown away
disposal = to throw away
dispose = to throw away
disposal = to throw away
dispose = to throw away
disposal = a process of throwing away or getting rid of something
2 —as in:
dispose of the matter
Definition
to settle something so it no longer requires attention- I expect them to dispose of the matter this afternoon.
dispose = settle (something so it no longer requires attention)
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- The issue will be disposed by the judge.
- In this dialogue, the whole argument in behalf of slavery was brought forward by the master, all of which was disposed of by the slave.Frederick Douglass -- The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
- they intend to dispose of himDarren Shan -- A Vampire's Assistant
- Surely a drugged Mockingjay will be easier to dispose of in front of a crowd.Suzanne Collins -- Mockingjay
- I carry things up the stairs and stow them in the garage. In there they seem disposed of.Margaret Atwood -- Cat's Eye
- he is unable to take a fact out of its merely political relations, and behold it as it lies absolutely to be disposed of by the intellectHenry David Thoreau -- Resistance to Civil Government
- The Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures required a witness to the execution of a mad hippogriff.J.K. Rowling -- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- The forest disposes of its own victims.Ayn Rand -- Anthem
- Having disposed of these evil-minded persons for the night,Charles Dickens -- Oliver Twist
disposed = settled (something so it no longer requires attention)
disposed = settled
dispose = settle (something so it no longer requires attention)
dispose = settle (something so it no longer requires attention)
disposed = taken care of so they will no longer require attention
disposed = settled
disposal = the act of settling something so it no longer requires attention
disposes = settles (something so it no longer requires attention)
disposed = finished with them for the evening (settled things so they no longer required attention)
3 —as in:
dispose of the assets
Definition
sell or transfer to another- Will you dispose of your California real estate now that you have moved?
dispose = sell or transfer to another
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- Her will split everything between the children, but left no instructions regarding disposal of her home and art.
- Cut off thus unexpectedly, he left no will as to the disposal of his property.Frederick Douglass -- The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
- ...he had an undoubted right to dispose of his own property as he chose,Jane Austen -- Sense and Sensibility
- There was only a small part of his estate that Sir Walter could dispose of;Jane Austen -- Persuasion
- He made me think of a pirate captain disposing of the booty.John Knowles -- A Separate Peace
disposal = the transfer of ownership
disposal = transfer
dispose = to give, sell, or transfer
dispose = sell
disposing = transferring to others
4 —as in:
disposed the troops along...
Definition
to arrange, position, or use things- Troops were disposed strategically along the northern border.
disposed = to arrange, position, or use things
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- You have a tight deadline, but the entire company is at your disposal.
- They carried spears and disposed themselves to defend the entrance.William Golding -- Lord of the Flies
- He had the world at his disposal.Kiera Cass -- The Selection
- The only movement at her disposal was the act of turning.Markus Zusak -- The Book Thief
- There were books and music and a TV at my disposal, which meant I never once had the opportunity to be bored.Alexandra Bracken -- The Darkest Minds
- The party was divided and disposed of on two contiguous benches:Jane Austen -- Persuasion
- She has been allowed to dispose of her time in the most idle and frivolous manner, and to adopt any opinions that came in her way.Jane Austen -- Pride and Prejudice
- Collectively, the Party owns everything in Oceania, because it controls everything, and disposes of the products as it thinks fit.George Orwell -- 1984
- He had a bachelor flat at number 83 Pulawska Street at his disposal, but was not living there himself, and he had agreed to let me occupy it.Wladyslaw Szpilman -- The Pianist
disposal = command (available to be used)
disposed = positioned
disposal = available for use
disposal = available for use
disposal = available for use
disposed = positioned (or arranged; or placed)
dispose = use up
disposes = uses
disposal = to arrange, position, or use things
5 —as in:
Is she disposed to help?
Definition
inclined (with a tendency to; or in the mood to)- I am not disposed to help someone who has been so rude.
disposed = inclined
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- He too, at first, seemed disposed to refuse; but, after some reflection, he granted me the privilege,Frederick Douglass -- The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
- ...seemed thoughtful and not disposed to talk,Jane Austen -- Persuasion
- I find myself disposed to ... discover a pretext for conformity.Henry David Thoreau -- Resistance to Civil Government
- Lucy was disposed to be jealous of her...Jane Austen -- Sense and Sensibility
- ...she was disposed to be too communicative,Charles Dickens -- Oliver Twist
- ...she is more disposed to reward than to punish.Jonathan Swift -- Gulliver's Travels
- O masters, if I were disposed to stir
Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage,
I should do Brutus wrong and Cassius wrong,
Who, you all know, are honourable men:William Shakespeare -- Julius Caesar - ...and besides, it was Flatbush, a place as disposed to the extremes of propriety and to neighborly snooping as the most arrested small town in the American heartland.William Styron -- Sophie's Choice
- ...experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.Thomas Jefferson et al. -- The Declaration of Independence
disposed = inclined (having a state of mind that favors doing something)
disposed = inclined (in the mood)
disposed = inclined (having a tendency to)
disposed = inclined (having a state of mind that favors doing something)
disposed = inclined (had a tendency)
disposed = inclined (has a tendency to)
disposed = inclined (in the mood to)
disposed = inclined (with a tendency to)
disposed = inclined (has a tendency to)
Less commonly:
Less commonly, disposing of can imply killing someone.