dismiss
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to direct (an assembly of persons) to disperse or go.
I dismissed the class early.
-
to bid or allow (a person) to go; give permission or a request to depart.
- Antonyms:
- recall
-
to discharge or remove, as from office or service.
to dismiss an employee.
- Synonyms:
- fire
- Antonyms:
- hire
-
to discard or reject.
to dismiss a suitor.
- Antonyms:
- accept
-
to put off or away, especially from consideration; put aside; reject.
She dismissed the story as mere rumor.
-
to have done with (a subject) after summary treatment.
After a perfunctory discussion, he dismissed the idea.
-
Law. to put out of court, as a complaint or appeal.
verb
-
to remove or discharge from employment or service
-
to send away or allow to go or disperse
-
to dispel from one's mind; discard; reject
-
to cease to consider (a subject)
they dismissed the problem
-
to decline further hearing to (a claim or action)
the judge dismissed the case
-
cricket to bowl out (a side) for a particular number of runs
Synonym Usage
See release.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
predismissverb (used with object)
-
dismissiveadjective
-
dismissibleadjective
-
undismissedadjective
-
redismissverb (used with object)
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has dismissedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have dismissedperfect
-
is dismissingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
have been dismissingperfect progressive
-
am dismissingprogressive 1st person singular
-
dismissingparticiple
-
has been dismissingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
dismissessingular 3rd person
-
are dismissingprogressive
Past
-
had dismissedperfect
-
was dismissingprogressive singular
-
dismissedparticiple
-
were dismissingprogressive plural
-
dismissedsimple
-
had been dismissingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dismiss
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Medieval Latin dismissus, from Latin dīmissus “sent away,” past participle of dīmittere “to send away,” from Latin dī, variant of dis- dis- 1 + mitt(ere) “to let go, send”
Explanation
At the end of a lesson period, your teacher says, "class dismissed." This means that you and the rest of the students are free to go. Dismiss means to let go. If a judge dismisses a case, it means he's saying it has no merit, and is throwing it out of court. If you are dismissed from your job, it means you've been fired. And if you've been ignoring your friends' warnings that your boyfriend is cheating, you've been dismissing their concerns. "Don't dismiss me!" is something you say when the person you're talking to is not taking you and your comments seriously.
Vocabulary lists containing dismiss
Send a Message: Mit and Miss
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Warm-up, List 1
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Nothing But the Truth
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Two of the defendants were later convicted of stalking charges, but a motion to dismiss the verdict will come before a federal judge later this month.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
Plenty will say he is lucky not to have had his contract torn up and last week, he did not dismiss the idea of signing another when this term expires in the autumn of 2027.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
In a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, the county made several arguments, including that the property rights the Fisher Island entities were claiming were tied to certain conditions that hadn’t been met.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026
Addressing a regular press conference in Berlin on Friday, Merz's spokesman was however quick to dismiss the reports.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
I think about what the old man means and immediately dismiss his words as crazy.
From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
