diff --git a/vlib/builtin/cfns.c.v b/vlib/builtin/cfns.c.v
index 0777cbe5f9..3fc4e35dbf 100644
--- a/vlib/builtin/cfns.c.v
+++ b/vlib/builtin/cfns.c.v
@@ -437,6 +437,13 @@ fn C.sem_trywait(voidptr) int
 fn C.sem_timedwait(voidptr, voidptr) int
 fn C.sem_destroy(voidptr) int
 
+// MacOS semaphore functions
+fn C.dispatch_semaphore_create(i64) voidptr
+fn C.dispatch_semaphore_signal(voidptr) i64
+fn C.dispatch_semaphore_wait(voidptr, u64) i64
+fn C.dispatch_time(u64, i64) u64
+fn C.dispatch_release(voidptr)
+
 fn C.read(fd int, buf voidptr, count size_t) int
 fn C.write(fd int, buf voidptr, count size_t) int
 fn C.close(fd int) int
diff --git a/vlib/sync/channels.v b/vlib/sync/channels.v
index e9d5bf19ad..9ca291ccb1 100644
--- a/vlib/sync/channels.v
+++ b/vlib/sync/channels.v
@@ -174,10 +174,7 @@ fn (mut ch Channel) try_push_priv(src voidptr, no_block bool) TransactionState {
 	if C.atomic_load_u16(&ch.closed) != 0 {
 		return .closed
 	}
-	mut spinloops_sem_, spinloops_ := if no_block { spinloops, spinloops_sem } else { 1, 1 }
-	$if macos {
-		spinloops_sem_ = 1
-	}
+	spinloops_sem_, spinloops_ := if no_block { spinloops, spinloops_sem } else { 1, 1 }
 	mut have_swapped := false
 	for {
 		mut got_sem := false
@@ -333,10 +330,7 @@ pub fn (mut ch Channel) try_pop(dest voidptr) TransactionState {
 }
 
 fn (mut ch Channel) try_pop_priv(dest voidptr, no_block bool) TransactionState {
-	mut spinloops_sem_, spinloops_ := if no_block { spinloops, spinloops_sem } else { 1, 1 }
-	$if macos {
-		spinloops_sem_ = 1
-	}
+	spinloops_sem_, spinloops_ := if no_block { spinloops, spinloops_sem } else { 1, 1 }
 	mut have_swapped := false
 	mut write_in_progress := false
 	for {
diff --git a/vlib/sync/sync_nix.c.v b/vlib/sync/sync_nix.c.v
index 67df5a5c5b..dc4386ac0a 100644
--- a/vlib/sync/sync_nix.c.v
+++ b/vlib/sync/sync_nix.c.v
@@ -6,7 +6,11 @@ module sync
 import time
 
 #flag -lpthread
-#include <semaphore.h>
+$if macos {
+	#include <dispatch/dispatch.h>
+} $else {
+	#include <semaphore.h>
+}
 
 // [init_with=new_mutex] // TODO: implement support for this struct attribute, and disallow Mutex{} from outside the sync.new_mutex() function.
 [ref_only]
@@ -26,14 +30,10 @@ struct RwMutexAttr {
 
 /* MacOSX has no unnamed semaphores and no `timed_wait()` at all
    so we emulate the behaviour with other devices */
-[ref_only]
-struct MacOSX_Semaphore {
-	mtx C.pthread_mutex_t
-	cond C.pthread_cond_t
-	attr C.pthread_condattr_t
-mut:
-	count u32
-}
+// [ref_only]
+// struct MacOSX_Semaphore {
+// 	sem C.dispatch_semaphore_t
+// }
 
 [ref_only]
 struct PosixSemaphore {
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ struct PosixSemaphore {
 
 pub struct Semaphore {
 mut:
-	sem voidptr // since the above does not work, yet
+	sem voidptr
 }
 
 pub fn new_mutex() &Mutex {
@@ -98,12 +98,8 @@ pub fn new_semaphore() Semaphore {
 pub fn new_semaphore_init(n u32) Semaphore {
 	$if macos {
 		s := Semaphore{
-			sem: &MacOSX_Semaphore{count: n}
+			sem: C.dispatch_semaphore_create(n)
 		}
-		C.pthread_mutex_init(&&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).mtx, C.NULL)
-		C.pthread_condattr_init(&&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).attr)
-		C.pthread_condattr_setpshared(&&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).attr, C.PTHREAD_PROCESS_PRIVATE)
-		C.pthread_cond_init(&&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).cond, &&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).attr)
 		return s
 	} $else {
 		s := Semaphore{
@@ -116,10 +112,7 @@ pub fn new_semaphore_init(n u32) Semaphore {
 
 pub fn (s Semaphore) post() {
 	$if macos {
-		C.pthread_mutex_lock(&&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).mtx)
-		(&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem)).count++
-		C.pthread_cond_signal(&&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).cond)
-		C.pthread_mutex_unlock(&&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).mtx)
+		C.dispatch_semaphore_signal(s.sem)
 	} $else {
 		unsafe { C.sem_post(&&PosixSemaphore(s.sem).sem) }
 	}
@@ -127,12 +120,7 @@ pub fn (s Semaphore) post() {
 
 pub fn (s Semaphore) wait() {
 	$if macos {
-		C.pthread_mutex_lock(&&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).mtx)
-		for &MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).count == 0 {
-			C.pthread_cond_wait(&&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).cond, &&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).mtx)
-		}
-		(&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem)).count--
-		C.pthread_mutex_unlock(&&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).mtx)
+		C.dispatch_semaphore_wait(s.sem, C.DISPATCH_TIME_FOREVER)
 	} $else {
 		unsafe { C.sem_wait(&&PosixSemaphore(s.sem).sem) }
 	}
@@ -140,53 +128,26 @@ pub fn (s Semaphore) wait() {
 
 pub fn (s Semaphore) try_wait() bool {
 	$if macos {
-		t_spec := time.zero_timespec()
-		C.pthread_mutex_lock(&&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).mtx)
-		for &MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).count == 0 {
-			res := C.pthread_cond_timedwait(&&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).cond, &&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).mtx, &t_spec)
-			if res == C.ETIMEDOUT {
-				break
-			}
-		}
-		mut res := false
-		if &MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).count > 0 { // success
-			(&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem)).count--
-			res = true
-		}
-		C.pthread_mutex_unlock(&&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).mtx)
-		return res
+		return C.dispatch_semaphore_wait(s.sem, C.DISPATCH_TIME_NOW) == 0
 	} $else {
 		return unsafe { C.sem_trywait(&&PosixSemaphore(s.sem).sem) == 0 }
 	}
 }
 
 pub fn (s Semaphore) timed_wait(timeout time.Duration) bool {
-	t_spec := timeout.timespec()
 	$if macos {
-		C.pthread_mutex_lock(&&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).mtx)
-		for &MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).count == 0 {
-			res := C.pthread_cond_timedwait(&&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).cond, &&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).mtx, &t_spec)
-			if res == C.ETIMEDOUT {
-				break
-			}
-		}
-		mut res := false
-		if &MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).count > 0 { // success
-			(&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem)).count--
-			res = true
-		}
-		C.pthread_mutex_unlock(&&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).mtx)
-		return res
+		return C.dispatch_semaphore_wait(s.sem, C.dispatch_time(C.DISPATCH_TIME_NOW, i64(timeout))) == 0
 	} $else {
+		t_spec := timeout.timespec()
 		return unsafe { C.sem_timedwait(&&PosixSemaphore(s.sem).sem, &t_spec) == 0 }
 	}
 }
 
 pub fn (s Semaphore) destroy() bool {
 	$if macos {
-		return C.pthread_cond_destroy(&&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).cond) == 0 &&
-			C.pthread_condattr_destroy(&&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).attr) == 0 &&
-			C.pthread_mutex_destroy(&&MacOSX_Semaphore(s.sem).mtx) == 0
+		for s.try_wait() {}
+		C.dispatch_release(s.sem)
+		return true
 	} $else {
 		return unsafe { C.sem_destroy(&&PosixSemaphore(s.sem).sem) == 0 }
 	}