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# dispensed

verb, past form of dispense (dispense, dispenses, dispensed, dispensing); adjective (dispensed medicine)

«dispensed» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Dispensed means given out or handed out, often by a machine or in measured amounts. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dispensed/#m1)
2. Dispensed means prepared and given out as medicine by a chemist or pharmacist. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dispensed/#m2)
3. «Dispensed with» means got rid of something or did without it because it was not needed. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dispensed/#m3)
4. (formal) Dispensed can mean justice or advice was given out by someone in charge. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dispensed/#m4)

### In the lessons

In everyday life a machine dispenses drinks, cash, soap or tickets; a pharmacist dispenses medicine from a doctor's prescription. In maths problems a machine «dispensed 3 sweets each time» means equal groups, so you multiply or divide. In safety, medicine should only be dispensed by an adult or pharmacist. Phrases: dispensed with, dispensed medicine, dispensed by a machine, dispensed justice.

### Examples

- The machine dispensed a cold can of lemonade. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dispensed/#x1)
- The pharmacist dispensed my mum's tablets. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dispensed/#x2)
- The cash machine dispensed two £10 notes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dispensed/#x3)
- The soap pump dispensed a tiny blob of foam. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dispensed/#x4)
- We dispensed with the speeches and went straight to the cake. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dispensed/#x5)
- The machine dispensed 4 sweets for every coin, so 5 coins gave 20 sweets. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dispensed/#x6)
- In old stories the king dispensed justice in the great hall. (formal) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dispensed/#x7)
- The nurse dispensed plasters to everyone who fell over. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dispensed/#x8)
- Little boys and girls fell over their own toes into the gutter, old women dispensed digs with their elbows, and looked sour, and took snuff. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dispensed/#x9)

### Note

Past tense and past participle of «dispense». «Dispense with» means do without; it is not the same as «dispose of» (throw away), though they are close. A «dispenser» is the machine or container. In maths, «each time it dispensed n» means repeated equal amounts: total = n × number of times.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «dispensed» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dispensed/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«dispensed» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/dispensed.html) on Mova free.