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dispose of

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dispose of someone

Sl. to kill someone. (See also dispose of someone or something.) Max suggested that he would dispose of Lefty if Lefty continued to be a pest. The boss ordered Max to dispose of Lefty.

See also: dispose, of

dispose of someone or something

to get rid of someone or something. (See also dispose of someone.) How can I dispose of this bothersome customer? Where shall I dispose of this wastepaper?

See also: dispose, of

dispose of something

to end a problem We need to dispose of the threat from diseases that can be easily controlled by vaccination.

See also: dispose, of

dispose of

1. Attend to, settle, deal with, as in He quickly disposed of the problem. [Early 1600s]

2. Transfer, part with, as by giving away or selling. For example, They wanted to dispose of the land as soon as possible. [Second half of 1600s]

3. Get rid of, throw out, as in Can we dispose of the trash in this barrel? Oliver Goldsmith had this idiom in She Stoops to Conquer (1773): "I'm disposing of the husband before I have secured the lover." [Mid-1600s]

4. Kill or destroy; also, humorously, consume. For example, The king was determined to dispose of his enemies, or John disposed of the cake in no time. [Second half of 1800s]

See also: dispose, of

dispose of

v.

1. To throw out or get rid of something: The government hired contractors to dispose of the nuclear waste.

2. To settle or attend to some problem, question, or situation: We quickly disposed of the problem before anyone found out.

3. To transfer or part with something, as by giving away or selling it: The bank disposed of its bad loans.

4. To kill or destroy someone: The dictator disposed of all his enemies.

See also: dispose, of