verb / noun

dispatch

di-SPACH/dɪˈspætʃ/

To send promptly to a destination.

The sender dispatches the parcel to the clinic with the departing bicycle courier.

At a simple courier pickup point, a sender hands a parcel to a departing courier and says, “Take this to the clinic now.” The courier accepts it beside her open delivery bag and bicycle, making the act of promptly sending something to a destination explicit.

Etymology

Spanish despachar, “expedite, hasten,” or its Italian cognate connects dispatch with getting something sent off quickly. The deeper origin and meaning of the second element are uncertain.

In context

Plainly Difficult722:10

forcing the EPA to dispatch a cleanup team. In 1999, the EPA started to work with the community in assessing and cleaning up the mess.

Rewind Year 7 of Plainly Difficult | Youtube Omnibus

More examples

We dispatch replacement parts the same day.
The reporter sends a dispatch from the border.
Her latest dispatches describe conditions in the flooded towns.

Forms

dispatch · dispatches · dispatched · dispatching

dispatcher noun — Someone who sends workers or vehicles out.

Similar words

send: Send is broader and does not necessarily suggest urgency.
deploy: Deploy emphasizes positioning people or equipment for active use.
report: A report need not be sent from a distant place.