dispense with

Definitions

1. 1

   To eliminate

   To eliminate; to dispose of.

   • I wish he would dispense with the pleasantries and get to the point.
   • When the scheme is completed, the 99-year-old swing bridge over the canal will be dispensed with as the new bridge will have sufficient height to allow clearance for the passage of canal traffic.
2. 2

   To do without.

   • The people hereabouts, sir, would seem to dispense with street illumination, and it is very dark tonight.
   • You might learn, for instance, that table manners can be dispensed with at restaurants, because the grown-ups are too embarrassed to discipline you in public.

The neighborhood