1
general::
Phrase(s): dispense with someone or something
to get rid of someone or something; to brush someone or something aside. • I think we will dispense with that subject for the rest of the day. • We will have to dispense with the expensive gifts this year.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
1. Manage without, forgo, as in We can dispense with the extra help. Shakespeare had this idiom in Timon of Athens (3:2): "Men must learn now with pity to dispense." [c. 1600] 2. Get rid of, do away with, as in The European Union is trying to dispense with tariff barriers. [Late 1500s] 3. Exempt one from a law, promise, or obligation, as in He asked the court to dispense with swearing on the Bible. This usage originally applied to religious obligations (to which the Pope granted dispensation). [Early 1500s]
American Heritage Idioms