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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dispatch box
n : case consisting of an oblong container (usually having a
lock) for carrying dispatches or other valuables [syn: dispatch
case]