Dispose of It, or Be Disposed to It?
Dispose has two lives. With of, it means get rid of something. Without of, it means to arrange, or to make someone inclined a certain way.
Dispose is one of those verbs whose meaning changes with the small word after it. *Dispose of* the rubbish and it is gone. *Disposed to* help and you are willing. The two senses share one idea: putting things where they belong, whether that is a bin or a frame of mind.
- To get rid of something (with *of*). *Dispose of the packaging responsibly.*
- To arrange or place. *The chairs were disposed in a circle.*
- To make someone inclined. *His manner disposed us to trust him.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | dispose | Dispose of it safely. |
| Past | disposed | They disposed of the evidence. |
| Noun | disposal | Waste disposal. |
| Noun | disposition | A cheerful disposition. |
| Adjective | disposable | A disposable cup. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Please dispose of your ticket in the bin provided.The polite public-notice use.
- The court disposed of the case in a single morning.In law, to dispose of a case is to finish it, not to throw it away.
- I am not disposed to argue about it.Disposed to means willing or inclined.
The family around it
- Disposal — the act of getting rid of something, or the power to use it (*at your disposal*)
- Disposition — a person's usual temperament
- Disposable — designed to be thrown away, or spendable (*disposable income*)
- Predisposed — inclined in advance, often used of health risks
- Indisposed — slightly unwell, or unwilling
From Old French *disposer*, shaped on Latin *disponere*, to set in different places, from *dis* (apart) and *ponere* (to place). The oldest English sense is the arranging one. Getting rid of things came later, out of the idea of placing something finally somewhere else.
Do you need *of* after dispose?
For the throwing-away sense, yes. *Dispose the rubbish* is not standard English; *dispose of the rubbish* is.
What does *at your disposal* mean?
Available for you to use as you choose. A car at your disposal is a car you may use, not one you must scrap.