dismiss

/dɪˈsmɪs/

Say it: dis-MISS

1. verb To decide that something or someone is not important and not worth considering.
She dismissed his concerns as an overreaction and moved on with the plan.
2. verb To officially end the employment of someone, especially for poor performance.
The company dismissed three managers after the failed product launch.
3. verb To formally allow or cause a group of people to leave a place.
After the final announcement, the principal dismissed the assembly.
4. verb To officially stop a legal case from continuing in court.
The judge dismissed the case due to a lack of credible evidence.

📖 Seen in the wild

She tried to dismiss his rude comments, but they continued to bother her throughout the day.
collected by @vocablast

✏️ dismiss in a sentence

It would be a mistake to dismiss these findings out of hand.
He was dismissed from his post for gross misconduct.
The professor talked for ten minutes after the bell rang before finally dismissing the class.
She tried to dismiss the nagging thought from her mind, but it kept returning.
With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the servant who had brought the message.
The appeal was dismissed by the High Court.
I don't think we should dismiss the idea completely; it might have some merit.

🔁 Synonyms & antonyms

reject disregard fire let go terminate sack brush off discount release

reject · implies a more final refusal after some consideration.

disregard · suggests deliberately ignoring something that perhaps deserves attention.

fire · an informal and direct term for ending employment for cause.

let go · a softer, more euphemistic term for ending employment.

Opposites: consider, accept, hire, summon, entertain

🌱 Where it comes from

The word 'dismiss' comes to us from the Latin 'dimittere', meaning 'to send away'. This is formed from 'dis-', meaning 'apart' or 'away', and 'mittere', meaning 'to send'. This core idea of sending something or someone away is still clearly visible in all of its modern uses, from sending away an employee to sending away a thought from your mind.

🧩 How it's used

Common patterns:

dismiss an ideadismiss a claimdismiss an employeedismiss a casesummarily dismissquickly dismiss

Dismiss implies a sense of authority or superiority. The person dismissing is in a position of power, whether it's a boss firing an employee or a person deciding an idea is beneath consideration. Because of this, dismissing someone's opinion or feelings can sound arrogant or abrupt. While it can be a neutral term in formal contexts like law or employment, in conversation it often carries a sharp, negative edge.

Word family: dismissal, dismissive, dismissively

💬 Quick answers

What does dismiss mean?

Dismiss has four main meanings: to reject an idea as unimportant, to fire someone from a job, to let a group of people leave, or to formally end a legal case.

What is the difference between dismiss and reject?

To dismiss an idea suggests you think it's not even worthy of serious consideration. To reject an idea implies you have considered it but decided against it.

What is the difference between dismiss and fire?

Fire is a direct and often informal term for ending someone's job, usually for a specific fault. Dismiss is a more formal and broader term that can include firing, layoffs, or other reasons for termination.

Is dismiss a negative word?

It often has a negative or abrupt connotation, as it implies the person doing the dismissing is in a position of power and may be acting without full consideration.

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