Dis·patch, n.  [Written also despatch.]
 1. The act of sending a message or messenger in haste or on important business.
 2. Any sending away; dismissal; riddance.
    To the utter dispatch of all their most beloved comforts.   --Milton.
 3. The finishing up of a business; speedy performance, as of business; prompt execution; diligence; haste.
    Serious business, craving quick dispatch.   --Shak.
    To carry his scythe . . . with a sufficient dispatch through a sufficient space.   --Paley.
 4. A message dispatched or sent with speed; especially, an important official letter sent from one public officer to another; -- often used in the plural; as, a messenger has arrived with dispatches for the American minister; naval or military dispatches.
 5. A message transmitted by telegraph. [Modern]
 Dispatch boat, a swift vessel for conveying dispatches; an advice boat.
 Dispatch box, a box for carrying dispatches; a box for papers and other conveniences when traveling.
 Syn: -- Haste; hurry; promptness; celerity; speed. See Haste.

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