dismiss

verb

dis-MIS/dɪsˈmɪs/UKdiz-MIS/dɪzˈmɪs/

8 meanings of dismiss

1
verbtransitive
To treat a claim or idea as unworthy of serious consideration, refusing to grant it any validity.
Critics dismiss the theory as pure speculation.
She dismissed his concerns without a second thought.
Similardiscount, disregard, reject, scorn, belittle
Oppositeconsider, entertain, accept, acknowledge
2
verbtransitive
To end the employment or service of a worker; to discharge them.
The board voted to dismiss the manager after the scandal.
Her supervisor dismissed her without warning.
Similarfire, sack, discharge, terminate, axe
Oppositehire, employ, appoint, engage
3
verbtransitive
To drive a thought or feeling out of one's mind; to dispel it.
She dismissed any lingering doubt and signed the contract.
I dismiss anxious thoughts whenever they creep in.
Similardispel, banish, suppress
Oppositeentertain, harbor
4
verbtransitive
To reject a request, claim, or proposal; to refuse to accept it.
The committee dismissed the proposal at its first reading.
Judges may dismiss a lawsuit that lacks legal merit.
Similarreject, refuse, deny, decline
Oppositeaccept, approve, uphold, grant
Note
Courts and committees reject things this way: a case, a claim, a proposal. A favorite construction is dismiss something as something. When the object is long, the short as-phrase can move ahead of it. Howard Johnston writes that Pat White "dismissed as smoke and mirrors the oft-used argument" about rail routes. Putting the verdict first spares the reader a long wait before hearing it.
5
verbtransitive
To send or put away, discarding with disregard, contempt, or disdain.
He dismissed the rumor as beneath his notice.
Powerful figures often dismiss critics as troublemakers.
Similarscorn, disdain, spurn, deride, disregard
Oppositeheed, respect
6
verbtransitive
To order a person or group to leave.
The judge dismissed the jury for the day.
Sergeants dismiss their squads once roll call ends.
Similarrelease, excuse, discharge
Oppositesummon, convene, assemble
Note
The sense nearest the Latin: dimissus meant "sent away", from dis- and mittere, "to send". Authority sends a group off when its business is done, such as soldiers after a parade or a jury at the end of the day, and the passive comes naturally: the troops were dismissed. Losing a job and rejecting a claim are the same sending away, turned onto a post and an idea.
7
verbtransitive
In cricket, to get a batsman out, ending their innings at the crease.
The spinner dismissed three batsmen in a single over.
Fast bowlers can dismiss even the best batters with a well-placed delivery.
Similarremove, dispatch
Note
Cricket uses the word for every way a batsman's innings can end: bowled, caught, leg before wicket, run out or stumped. It turns up most in the passive, with the batsman's score introduced by for, as in he was dismissed for 99 runs. The related noun, a dismissal, is how scorecards and commentary count the wickets that fall.
8
verbtransitive
In soccer, to send a player off the field for the rest of the match by showing a red card.
The referee dismissed two players in the final ten minutes.
Referees will dismiss a player guilty of violent conduct.
Similarred-card, eject, expel
Note
Match reports use it as the formal way of saying sent off, the player ordered from the pitch for the rest of the game. Kevin Darlin's BBC report of West Brom 1-3 Blackburn (2010) pairs it with the slangier saw red, using both for variety. Unlike the cricket sense, where a batsman is out through play, here the dismissal is the referee's decision alone.

Practice

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Origin

Recorded in Middle English, from Latin dimissus ("sent away, dismissed, banished"), the perfect passive participle of dīmittō ("send away, dismiss"), formed from dis- plus mittere ("to send").