dismissal

American  

[dis-mis-uhl] / dɪsˈmɪs əl /

Also dismission

noun

• dismissals
  plural

1. an act or instance of dismissing.

2. the state of being dismissed.

3. a spoken or written order of discharge from employment, service, enrollment, etc.

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dismissal British  

/ dɪsˈmɪsəl /

noun

1. an official notice of discharge from employment or service

2. the act of dismissing or the condition of being dismissed

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondismissal
  noun
• predismissal
  noun
• redismissal
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dismissals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dismissal

First recorded in 1800–10; dismiss + -al ²

Explanation

The act of sending someone away or firing them is dismissal. Your friend's dismissal from the pizza place where he kept dropping the dough on the floor means he's looking for a new job — preferably not in food service. When a school bell rings at the end of the day, signaling that students can leave, that's one kind of dismissal. Bad news from a boss that the company is laying you off is also a dismissal, and when a judge rules that a trial is over and the case has been dropped, it's yet another kind of dismissal. The word comes from dismiss, "send away," from the Latin root dimittere, "send different ways" or "break up."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dismissal dismissals

Surrey Coroner's Court heard the Treasury did not apply written disciplinary policy which would have made clear that if the allegations were proven, the likely penalty was a written warning, not dismissal.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Carvalho ultimately relinquished his right to severance by resigning — while avoiding the possibility of dismissal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

However, Aephraim Steinberg, one of the authors of that 1993 paper, was not so quick to accept this dismissal of the negative time as an artifact.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

But when it does so, the department typically keeps its filings brief, saying such a dismissal is in the interest of justice.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

A majority opposed the oath but chose to sign nevertheless, especially after the regents decreed that those who refused would face dismissal.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Hours before Clayton's confirmation vote, Pulte boasted that a fifth round of dismissals would bring staffing reductions at the intelligence coordinating body to about 30 percent within weeks.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

As the Kiwis claimed a stunning win, England were left to rue the nature of a number of dismissals in the chase - a theme that would become rather familiar.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

The program’s star correspondent Scott Pelley was fired last month after he confronted management over the dismissals of executive producer Tanya Simon and his on-air colleagues Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

“I can’t imagine how many dismissals that have occurred, where people just accept it as the final word by the government.”

From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2026

He’s home before me, because he’s had early dismissals all week for parent-teacher conferences.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day