Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: French
Origin: disposer, from Latin disponere 'to arrange'

dispose

 verb
     
dis‧pose [transitive always + adverb/preposition]
formal to arrange things or put them in their places:
Chinese vases are disposed around the gallery.

dispose of something

phrasal verb
1 to get rid of something, especially something that is difficult to get rid of:
an incinerator built to dispose of toxic waste
2 to sell something, especially part of a business:
I am still not sure how best to dispose of the shares.
3 formal to deal with something such as a problem or question successfully:
Your idea at least disposes of the immediate problem.
4 to defeat an opponent:
Two goals by Raul disposed of Barcelona.

dispose somebody to/towards something

phrasal verb
to make someone more likely to have particular feelings or thoughts:
The body releases a chemical that disposes you towards sleep.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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