Delivery vs. Dispatch — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on November 1, 2023
Delivery refers to the act of bringing goods to a recipient, while Dispatch involves sending goods or a message out for a purpose.
Difference Between Delivery and Dispatch
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Key Differences
Delivery and Dispatch are terms frequently used in logistics and communication. Delivery is the process or action of handing over goods or items to the intended recipient or location. It signifies the completion of a process where a product or message has reached its endpoint. Dispatch, on the other hand, refers to the act of sending off an item or message, marking the beginning of its journey to its destination.
When discussing Delivery, the focus is on the receiving end of a transaction or process. It emphasizes the transfer of possession, such as when a package is delivered to a customer's doorstep. Dispatch, in contrast, is oriented towards the sender's perspective. It's about initiating the transfer or sending something out, like dispatching a letter or a truckload of goods.
The act of Delivery usually follows Dispatch in a typical supply chain. For instance, an online store first dispatches an order, initiating its transit, and upon reaching the customer, the order is considered delivered. Delivery implies a successful conclusion, while Dispatch indicates the commencement.
Another way to distinguish between Delivery and Dispatch is by looking at their contexts. Delivery is often associated with the final stage, ensuring that goods, messages, or services have been successfully handed over. Dispatch, meanwhile, concerns itself with the efficiency and speed of sending something out, often requiring promptness.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Act of handing over goods to a recipient
Act of sending out goods or a message
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Focus
Receiving end of a transaction
Sending end of a process
Sequence
Follows Dispatch in a supply chain
Precedes Delivery in a process
Implication
Successful conclusion
Commencement of a journey
Context
Final stage, transferring possession
Initial stage, requiring promptness and speed
Compare with Definitions
Delivery
The action of providing a promised service or product.
The software company completed the delivery of its latest update.
Dispatch
The quickness in handling and sending out.
The dispatch of emergency services was commendable.
Delivery
The presentation of a speech or performance.
The actor's delivery was powerful and moving.
Dispatch
Killing or disposing of someone swiftly.
The hero could dispatch villains with ease.
Delivery
The process of giving birth.
The hospital is renowned for its maternity delivery services.
Dispatch
An official report, typically from a journalist or correspondent.
The newspaper featured a dispatch from its overseas reporter.
Delivery
The act of conveying or delivering.
Dispatch
Send off to a destination or for a purpose
The government dispatched 150 police to restore order
He dispatched messages back to base
Delivery
Something delivered, as a shipment or package.
Dispatch
Deal with (a task or opponent) quickly and efficiently
The Welsh team were dispatched comfortably by the opposition
Delivery
The act of transferring to another.
Dispatch
The sending of someone or something to a destination or for a purpose
A resolution authorizing the dispatch of a peacekeeping force
Delivery
(Law) A formal act of transferring ownership of property to another
Delivery of a deed.
Dispatch
An official report on state or military affairs
In his battle dispatch he described the gunner's bravery
Delivery
The act of giving up; surrender.
Dispatch
The killing of someone or something
The executioner's merciful dispatch of his victims
Delivery
The act or manner of throwing or discharging.
Dispatch
To relegate to a specific destination or send on specific business.
Delivery
The act of giving birth; parturition.
Dispatch
A written message, particularly an official communication, sent with speed.
Delivery
Utterance or enunciation
The historic speech required but two minutes in delivery.
Dispatch
An important message sent by a diplomat or an officer in the armed forces.
Delivery
The act or manner of speaking or singing
A folk singer's casual delivery.
Dispatch
A news item sent to a news organization, as by a correspondent.
Delivery
The act of releasing or rescuing.
Dispatch
(transitive) To send (a shipment) with promptness.
Delivery
The act of conveying something.
The delivery was completed by four.
Delivery of a nuclear missile to its target
Dispatch
(transitive) To send (a person) away hastily.
Delivery
The item which has been conveyed.
Your delivery is on the table.
Dispatch
(transitive) To send (an important official message) promptly, by means of a diplomat or military officer.
Delivery
The act of giving birth
The delivery was painful.
Dispatch
(transitive) To send (a journalist) to a place in order to report.
Delivery
(baseball) A pitching motion.
His delivery has a catch in it.
Dispatch
(transitive) To dispose of speedily, as business; to execute quickly; to make a speedy end of; to finish; to perform.
Delivery
(baseball) A thrown pitch.
Here is the delivery; ... strike three!
Dispatch
(transitive) To rid; to free.
Delivery
The manner of speaking.
The actor's delivery was flawless.
Dispatch
(transitive) To destroy (someone or something) quickly and efficiently.
Delivery
(medicine) The administration of a drug.
Drug delivery system
Dispatch
To pass on for further processing, especially via a dispatch table (often with to).
Delivery
(cricket) A ball bowled.
Dispatch
To hurry.
Delivery
(curling) The process of throwing a stone.
Dispatch
To deprive.
Delivery
(genetics) Process of introducing foreign DNA into host cells.
Dispatch
A message sent quickly, as a shipment, a prompt settlement of a business, or an important official message sent by a diplomat, government official, military officer, etc.
Delivery
(football) A cross or pass
Dispatch
The act of doing something quickly.
We must act with dispatch in this matter.
Delivery
The act of delivering from restraint; rescue; release; liberation; as, the delivery of a captive from his dungeon.
Dispatch
A mission by an emergency response service, typically involving attending to an emergency in the field.
Delivery
The act of delivering up or over; surrender; transfer of the body or substance of a thing; distribution; as, the delivery of a fort, of hostages, of a criminal, of goods, of letters.
Dispatch
(computing) The passing on of a message for further processing, especially through a dispatch table.
Delivery
The act or style of utterance; manner of speaking; as, a good delivery; a clear delivery.
Dispatch
(obsolete) A dismissal.
Delivery
The act of giving birth; parturition; the expulsion or extraction of a fetus and its membranes.
Dispatch
To dispose of speedily, as business; to execute quickly; to make a speedy end of; to finish; to perform.
Ere we put ourselves in arms, dispatch weThe business we have talked of.
[The] harvest men . . . almost in one fair day dispatcheth all the harvest work.
Delivery
The act of exerting one's strength or limbs.
Neater limbs and freer delivery.
Dispatch
To rid; to free.
I had clean dispatched myself of this great charge.
Delivery
The act or manner of delivering a ball; as, the pitcher has a swift delivery.
Dispatch
To get rid of by sending off; to send away hastily.
Unless dispatched to the mansion house in the country . . . they perish among the lumber of garrets.
Delivery
The act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail);
His reluctant delivery of bad news
Dispatch
To send off or away; - particularly applied to sending off messengers, messages, letters, etc., on special business, and implying haste.
Even with the speediest expeditionI will dispatch him to the emperor's cou .
Delivery
The event of giving birth;
She had a difficult delivery
Dispatch
To send out of the world; to put to death.
The company shall stone them with stones, and dispatch them with their swords.
Delivery
Your characteristic style or manner of expressing yourself orally;
His manner of speaking was quite abrupt
Her speech was barren of southernisms
I detected a slight accent in his speech
Dispatch
To make haste; to conclude an affair; to finish a matter of business.
They have dispatched with Pompey.
Delivery
The voluntary transfer of something (title or possession) from one party to another
Dispatch
The act of sending a message or messenger in haste or on important business.
Delivery
(baseball) the throwing of a baseball by a pitcher to a batter
Dispatch
Any sending away; dismissal; riddance.
To the utter dispatch of all their most beloved comforts.
Delivery
Recovery or preservation from loss or danger;
Work is the deliverance of mankind
A surgeon's job is the saving of lives
Dispatch
The finishing up of a business; speedy performance, as of business; prompt execution; diligence; haste.
Serious business, craving quick dispatch.
To carry his scythe . . . with a sufficient dispatch through a sufficient space.
Delivery
The act of delivering a child
Dispatch
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.
Delivery
The act of handing over something to its recipient.
The pizza delivery was quick and efficient.
Dispatch
A message transmitted by telegraph.
Delivery
Transfer of possession from one party to another.
The delivery of the deed confirmed the property sale.
Dispatch
An official report (usually sent in haste)
Dispatch
The act of sending off something
Dispatch
The property of being prompt and efficient;
It was done with dispatch
Dispatch
Killing a person or animal
Dispatch
Send away towards a designated goal
Dispatch
Complete or carry out;
Discharge one's duties
Dispatch
Kill intentionally and with premeditation;
The mafia boss ordered his enemies murdered
Dispatch
Dispose of rapidly and without delay and efficiently;
He dispatched the task he was assigned
Dispatch
Kill without delay;
The traitor was dispatched by the conspirators
Dispatch
The act of sending off something.
The company will dispatch the order tomorrow.
Dispatch
A written message sent out urgently.
The general sent a dispatch to the front lines.
Common Curiosities
Can Delivery be used in the context of speeches?
Yes, Delivery can refer to the manner or style of presenting a speech or performance.
What does Dispatch imply in terms of efficiency?
Dispatch often implies promptness and speed in sending or handling something.
Is Delivery always the final step in logistics?
Typically, Delivery is the final step, indicating that the goods have reached their intended destination.
What does Delivery emphasize?
Delivery emphasizes the act of handing over goods or items to the intended recipient or location.
Is the act of giving birth considered a Delivery?
Yes, the process of giving birth is often referred to as Delivery.
Can Delivery be used to describe the conclusion of a process?
Yes, Delivery often implies a successful conclusion or fulfillment of a process.
Can Dispatch refer to an urgent message?
Yes, Dispatch can refer to a written message sent out urgently, like a report or communication.
How do Delivery and Dispatch relate in a supply chain?
In a supply chain, goods are usually dispatched (sent out) before they are delivered (received) by the end recipient.
What is the primary focus of Dispatch?
Dispatch focuses on sending out goods, messages, or tasks, typically at the beginning of their journey.
Can Dispatch have a violent connotation?
Yes, in some contexts, Dispatch can mean to kill or dispose of someone swiftly.
Can Delivery imply a service rather than a physical product?
Yes, Delivery can refer to the provision of both services and physical products.
Is Dispatch always about physical goods?
No, Dispatch can refer to sending out messages, reports, or tasks, not just physical items.
Do all Deliveries follow a Dispatch?
Typically, in logistics and communications, a Delivery follows a Dispatch, but context matters.
Is Dispatch always about speed?
While Dispatch often emphasizes speed, it primarily denotes the act of sending something out.
What does a journalist's report have in common with Dispatch?
A journalist's report, especially from the field, can be called a Dispatch.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
