dismiss
Americanverb (used with object)
-
dismisses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dismissed,
past participle, past
-
dismissing
present participle
-
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)
-
redismissverb (used with object)
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dismissibleadjective
-
dismissiveadjective
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undismissedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dismisssimple
-
dismissessimple
-
have dismissedperfect
-
has dismissedperfect
-
am dismissingprogressive
-
are dismissingprogressive
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is dismissingprogressive
-
have been dismissingperfect progressive
-
has been dismissingperfect progressive
Past
-
dismissedsimple
-
had dismissedperfect
-
was dismissingprogressive
-
were dismissingprogressive
-
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.
See Examples For:
Mangione’s lawyer has asked the state to dismiss its charges, citing double-jeopardy protections.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro and how her prosecutors secured a grand jury indictment against 67-year-old David Hearn for “vandalizing” the Reflecting Pool, only to dismiss the case within weeks.
From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026
"I would never seek to diminish or dismiss any survivor's experience, or to make anyone feel that their pain was not heard or understood," they added.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
His move to dismiss Cook was the first such attempt by a president in the US central bank's 111-year history.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
He was pinched perspiringly in the epistemological dilemma of the skeptic, unable to accept solutions to problems he was unwilling to dismiss as unsolvable.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
He dismisses the theory, also put forward by the KWS, that the cyanide might have come from a type of foliage, noting local livestock would have died as well.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
If the company avoids trouble over a period of several years, the Justice Department dismisses its charges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Genis, who is a Social Democrat elected to Bern city council, dismisses these arguments as scapegoating.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
For her part Zoe, mature well beyond her tender age, dismisses the hype with a shrug.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026
Marco politely dismisses the illusionists in the lobby, explaining that the position has been filled and thanking them for their time.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
A judge on Friday dismissed one of the cases, which McHugh expects will resume the process.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Olgulului's Papatiti also dismissed the theory of deliberate poisoning.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Speaking in court Thursday, Tahnya dismissed Sandoval as a “coward.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Plus, next month a judge has scheduled a hearing to decide whether Hearn’s dismissed charges should be held with prejudice, so the DOJ can’t charge him again for the same alleged conduct.
From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026
He dismissed Javier with a wave, but Esperanza jumped in.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
Families of deployed sailors have pushed back, accusing Trump and Hegseth of dismissing what their loved ones have experienced aboard the ship.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Then it’s up to their coach to talk them into dismissing the algorithm they’ve spent the past few months trusting.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
South African mining magnate Patrice Motsepe on Wednesday ruled out a future in politics, dismissing speculation that he could one day run for the country's presidency.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
The term refers to a medical professional dismissing or invalidating health worries which can cause patients to doubt their pain and concerns.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
So over our gooseberry pie we looked at the pros and cons of one, two, three, and four chains, quickly dismissing one- chain helices as incompatible with the evidence in our hands.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
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.
