📖 D — The English dictionary · page 39

disorient — Everyday, meaning 1: To make someone confused about where they are or which way to go.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To make someone confused and unable to think clearly.↗ Example: The thick fog disoriented the walkers.↗ · After spinning round, I felt disoriented.↗ · Bright lights can disorient baby turtles on the beach.↗ · The loud noise disoriented the dog.↗ · The new school building was big and disorienting.↗ · Waking in a strange room can disorient you.↗ · The cave was so dark that we were quickly disoriented.↗

disown — Everyday, meaning 1: To disown someone is to refuse to say you know them or belong to them any more; to give up all claim to them.↗ Example: The king disowned his son.↗ · She disowned the bad work and said it was not hers.↗ · The family disowned him after the theft.↗ · He tried to disown his old friend.↗

disparage — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) To speak about someone or something in a way that shows you think they are not important or not good; to belittle.↗ Example: Don't disparage your sister's drawing — she tried her best.↗ · The critic disparaged the new film.↗ · He disparaged his rival's ideas without listening to them.↗ · It is wrong to disparage people because of where they come from.↗ · Without wishing to disparage the cook, the soup was cold.↗ · She never disparages other teams, even when they lose.↗ · Among the spectators was a Countryman, who disparaged the Clown's performance and announced that he would give a much superior exhibition of the same trick on the following day.↗

disparagement — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) Disparagement is saying that someone or something is not good or not important, in an unkind or scornful way; putting it down.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A disparagement is one remark like that.↗ Example: The rival team's coach spoke with disparagement about our players.↗ · Her disparagement of his painting hurt his feelings.↗ · The critic's review was full of disparagement.↗ · «Only a little school play,» he said, with a hint of disparagement.↗ · Good sports players avoid the disparagement of their opponents.↗ · She ignored the disparagement and kept practising.↗

disparaging — Everyday, meaning 1: Showing that you think someone or something is not good or not important; insulting in a quiet way: «disparaging remarks».↗ Example: He made disparaging remarks about her clothes.↗ · The coach would not allow disparaging comments about the other team.↗ · She gave my sandcastle a disparaging look.↗ · Disparaging words can hurt as much as a push.↗ · The review was very disparaging about the new restaurant.↗ · Grandma never says anything disparaging about anyone.↗

dispatch — Everyday, meaning 1: (verb) To dispatch something is to send it somewhere, such as a parcel or a letter.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (verb) To dispatch someone is to send them to a place for a job, such as an ambulance or police officer.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (noun) Dispatch is the act of sending things off.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (noun) A dispatch is an official message or a news report sent from far away.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: (formal or old-fashioned) To dispatch an animal or enemy can mean to kill it quickly.↗ Everyday, meaning 6: (formal) To dispatch a job is to do it quickly.↗ Example: Your order will be dispatched within two days.↗ · The call centre dispatched an ambulance at once.↗ · The warehouse dispatched 240 boxes on Monday.↗ · The general sent a dispatch to the king.↗ · Firefighters were dispatched to the burning barn.↗ · She dispatched her homework in ten minutes.↗ · The parcel was dispatched from Sydney.↗ · He waited in patience for another opportunity to dispatch the ogre.↗

dispatched — Everyday, meaning 1: sent off (a parcel, a person, a message).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (euphemism) killed quickly, often an animal by a hunter or farmer, or a character in a story.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: dealt with quickly (dispatched the job).↗ Example: Your order has been dispatched and will arrive tomorrow.↗ · The farmer dispatched the injured sheep quickly.↗ · Police were dispatched to the scene.↗ · In the story, the knight dispatched the dragon with one blow.↗ · The team dispatched their rivals five–nil.↗ · The general dispatched a messenger to the king.↗

dispel — Everyday, meaning 1: To make a feeling, fear, doubt or false belief go away.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (less common) To drive away or scatter something, like fog or clouds.↗ Example: The scientist dispelled the myth that goldfish have a three-second memory.↗ · Her smile dispelled my worries.↗ · The sun soon dispelled the morning mist.↗ · The teacher tried to dispel rumours about the school closing.↗ · Turning on the light dispelled our fear of the dark.↗ · The facts dispelled any doubt.↗ · We wrote a leaflet to dispel common myths about bats.↗ · However, he soon perceived her melancholy, and in a thousand ways strove to dispel the cloud, but in vain.↗

dispense — Everyday, meaning 1: To give out something, often in measured amounts.↗ e.g. The machine dispenses drinks.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To prepare and give out medicine.↗ e.g. The chemist dispenses medicine.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (formal) To give out or provide.↗ e.g. The judge dispenses justice.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: dispense with (formal) = do without, get rid of.↗ e.g. Let's dispense with the speeches.↗ Example: The machine dispenses a can of juice for two dollars.↗ · The pharmacist dispensed my medicine.↗ · Press the button and the soap dispenser gives you some soap.↗ · Let's dispense with the jokes and start the test.↗ · The tap dispenses 2 litres a minute.↗ · The cash dispenser was out of money.↗ · Modern education includes morality; therefore the modern child seeks only entertainment in its wonder tales and gladly dispenses with all disagreeable incident.↗

dispensed — Everyday, meaning 1: Dispensed means given out or handed out, often by a machine or in measured amounts.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Dispensed means prepared and given out as medicine by a chemist or pharmacist.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: «Dispensed with» means got rid of something or did without it because it was not needed.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (formal) Dispensed can mean justice or advice was given out by someone in charge.↗ Example: The machine dispensed a cold can of lemonade.↗ · The pharmacist dispensed my mum's tablets.↗ · The cash machine dispensed two £10 notes.↗ · The soap pump dispensed a tiny blob of foam.↗ · We dispensed with the speeches and went straight to the cake.↗ · The machine dispensed 4 sweets for every coin, so 5 coins gave 20 sweets.↗ · In old stories the king dispensed justice in the great hall.↗ (formal)↗ · The nurse dispensed plasters to everyone who fell over.↗ · 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.↗

dispenser — Everyday, meaning 1: A dispenser is a machine or container that gives out a fixed amount of something when you press, pull or push it.↗ Example: Press the soap dispenser twice.↗ · The tape dispenser is on the teacher's desk.↗ · We filled our bottles at the water dispenser.↗ · The cash dispenser gave Mum her money.↗ · The hand gel dispenser is by the door.↗ · The pet food dispenser feeds the cat at set times.↗

dispersal — Everyday, meaning 1: Spreading things out over a wide area: seed dispersal.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Making a crowd or group break up and go in different directions.↗ Example: Dandelion seeds use the wind for dispersal.↗ · Birds help with seed dispersal when they eat berries.↗ · Coconuts float, so water helps their dispersal.↗ · The police ordered the dispersal of the crowd.↗ · We learned about seed dispersal in science.↗ · The dispersal of the smoke took an hour.↗

disperse — Everyday, meaning 1: To disperse is to go away in different directions, or to make a crowd do this.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To spread something widely over an area.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (science) For light, to split into its colours, as in a prism.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: For fog, cloud or smoke, to thin out and disappear.↗ Example: After the match, the crowd slowly dispersed.↗ · Dandelion seeds are dispersed by the wind.↗ · Birds help disperse seeds by eating fruit.↗ · By noon, the fog had dispersed.↗ · A prism disperses white light into the colours of the rainbow.↗ · Police told the gathering to disperse.↗ · The smell dispersed when we opened the window.↗ · Immediately they cocked up their tails and dispersed among the thick forests.↗ · If any of thine that are dispersed be in the uttermost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will He fetch thee.↗ (Torah DEU.30.4, JPS 1917)↗ · The LORD doth build up Jerusalem, He gathereth together the dispersed of Israel; (Writings PSA.147.2, JPS 1917)↗ · Let thy springs be dispersed abroad, and courses of water in the streets.↗ (Writings PRO.5.16, JPS 1917)↗ · The lips of the wise disperse knowledge; but the heart of the foolish is not stedfast.↗ (Writings PRO.15.7, JPS 1917)↗

dispirited — Everyday, meaning 1: Having lost hope and energy; feeling down and discouraged.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Showing that feeling, as in a dispirited voice or a dispirited team.↗ Example: The team walked off the pitch looking dispirited after losing 5–0.↗ · After three rainy days, the campers were tired and dispirited.↗ · Mole felt lost and dispirited in the dark Wild Wood.↗ · She gave a dispirited sigh and closed her maths book.↗ · Don't be dispirited by one bad mark; you can try again.↗ · The dispirited soldiers trudged back through the mud.↗ · A kind word can cheer up a dispirited friend.↗

displace — Everyday, meaning 1: To displace something is to push it out of its place or take its place.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To displace people is to force them to leave their homes, for example because of war or floods.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: In science, an object put in water displaces (pushes aside) some of the water.↗ Example: The stone displaced water and the level rose.↗ · Floods displaced thousands of families.↗ · The new road displaced many birds from the woods.↗ · Measure how much water the toy displaces.↗ · A ship displaces a lot of water.↗ · Weeds can displace native plants.↗

displacement — Everyday, meaning 1: Moving something from its usual place or position.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (science) The amount of water or other fluid pushed aside when an object is put in it; a floating ship pushes aside its own weight of water.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Forcing people to leave their homes, for example because of war or disaster.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (science, maths) How far and in what direction something has moved from its starting point.↗ Example: We measured the stone's volume by water displacement.↗ · When you get in the bath, the displacement makes the water rise.↗ · The flood caused the displacement of thousands of families.↗ · A ship's displacement tells you how heavy it is.↗ · Displacement is the distance from start to finish in a straight line.↗ · The earthquake caused the displacement of the rocks.↗

display — Everyday, meaning 1: A display is a collection of things arranged for people to look at.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To display something is to show it so people can see it.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A display is the screen of a computer, phone or calculator.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A display is a show, like a fireworks display.↗ Example: Our paintings are on display in the hall.↗ · We made a display about the rainforest.↗ · Display your results in a bar chart.↗ · The shop displays toys in the window.↗ · We watched the fireworks display.↗ · The peacock displayed its beautiful tail.↗ · The calculator display shows 42.↗ · It was certainly a magnificent display.↗ · (3) nsD (Scroll), the material o.i which the letters were displayed.↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗ · Thou hast given a banner to them that fear Thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth.↗ (Writings PSA.60.6, JPS 1917)↗

displease — Everyday, meaning 1: To displease someone is to make them cross or unhappy, or to fail to please them.↗ Example: Noisy talking displeases the teacher.↗ · Your rude answer displeased the queen.↗ · The mess displeased Mum.↗ · Nothing I did seemed to displease him.↗ · And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD: 'I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me; now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back.'↗ (Torah NUM.22.34, JPS 1917)↗ · Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.'↗ (Prophets 1SA.29.7, JPS 1917)↗ · Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him.↗ (Writings PRO.24.18, JPS 1917)↗

displeased — Everyday, meaning 1: Annoyed or unhappy about something someone has done.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (verb, past) Made someone feel annoyed or unhappy.↗ Example: The teacher was displeased with our noisy behaviour.↗ · The king was displeased and sent the jester away.↗ · Mum looked displeased when she saw the muddy floor.↗ · The coach was displeased at our late arrival.↗ · The cat seemed displeased about its bath.↗ · Grandad was not displeased when we offered to wash the car.↗ · "Princess," he said, "blame your beauty for my boldness if I have displeased you."↗ · And Moses heard the people weeping, family by family, every man at the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; and Moses was displeased.↗ (Torah NUM.11.10, JPS 1917)↗ · And when Joseph saw that his father was laying his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.↗ (Torah GEN.48.17, JPS 1917)↗ · But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.↗ (Prophets JON.4.1, JPS 1917)↗ · 'The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers.↗ (Prophets ZEC.1.2, JPS 1917)↗ · But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.↗ (Prophets 2SA.11.27, JPS 1917)↗