Dispense

Dispense is a verb with several related meanings centered on distributing, providing, or assigning items, often in measured or planned quantities. The primary sense involves supplying something to someone in a regulated way, such as medicines, funds, or information. The verb can also mean to forgo or omit a customary step or requirement, as in the phrase “dispense with the formalities.” The noun form is rarely used in everyday language; the related noun is more commonly “dispensing” or simply “dispensing process.”

In healthcare, dispensing refers specifically to the preparation and delivery of prescribed medicines to patients. Pharmacists or dispensing technicians interpret prescriptions, select the appropriate drug and strength, measure or count doses, label containers, and provide counseling on usage, safety, potential interactions, and storage. Dispensing is subject to professional standards, regulatory oversight, and checks designed to ensure patient safety.

In other settings, a dispenser is a device or mechanism that releases a product in measured amounts, such as a beverage dispenser, a soap or hand sanitizer dispenser, or a fuel dispenser at a service station. The concept also appears in law and policy where dispensing with certain formalities or requirements is allowed or mandated under specific circumstances. Etymologically, dispense derives from Latin dispensare, meaning to weigh out or distribute, with the sense broadened in English to include forgoing steps.