Dispose vs Sell us his share

When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.

Dispose

Top 2,000 (common)C1verb

Sell us his share

Top 2,000 (common)
 DisposeSell us his share
Pronunciation🇬🇧 /["/dɪˈspəʊz/","/dɪˈspəʊzɪz/","/dɪˈspəʊzd/","/dɪˈspəʊzɪŋ/"]/🇺🇸 /["/dɪˈspəʊz/","/dɪˈspəʊzɪz/","/dɪˈspəʊzd/","/dɪˈspəʊzɪŋ/"]/🇬🇧 //sɛl ʌs hɪz ʃɛə//🇺🇸 //sɛl ʌs hɪz ʃɛr//
MeaningTo get rid of something you no longer want.To give away part of something in exchange for money to us.
ExampleThe visitors disposed themselves in a circle round the statue.He decided to sell us his share of the business.
RegisterNeutralNeutral
How commonTop 2,000 (common)Top 2,000 (common)
CEFR levelC1-
Part of speechverb
Collocationsdispose of waste, dispose of trash, properly dispose, dispose of materials, safely disposesell a share, sell his stake, sell to investors
Antonymsretain, keep, hold-
Common mistakesConfusing 'dispose' with 'expose', Using 'dispose' without 'of' when talking about throwing something away, Incorrectly spelling it as 'despose'Confusing 'sell' with 'buy'., Using incorrect prepositions, such as 'for' instead of 'to'.
Usage notesUse 'dispose of' when talking about throwing things away. It's formal, so avoid it in casual conversations unless necessary.Use in business contexts when discussing transactions. Avoid in formal writing when discussing more complex sales agreements.

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Sell us his share

Frequently asked questions: Dispose vs Sell us his share

What's the difference between Dispose and Sell us his share?

Dispose: To get rid of something you no longer want. Sell us his share: To give away part of something in exchange for money to us.

Can you show an example of each?

Dispose: The visitors disposed themselves in a circle round the statue. Sell us his share: He decided to sell us his share of the business.

Can I use Dispose and Sell us his share interchangeably?

Not always. Dispose and Sell us his share are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.

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