Dismiss

/dɪsˈmɪs/ · verb

Meaning

(transitive) To discharge; to end the employment or service of..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To discharge; to end the employment or service of.
2. (transitive) To order to leave.
3. (transitive) To dispel; to rid one’s mind of.
4. (transitive) To reject; to refuse to accept.
5. (transitive) To invalidate; to treat as unworthy of serious consideration.
6. (transitive) To send or put away, to discard with disregard, contempt or disdain. (sometimes followed by as).
7. (transitive, cricket) To get a batsman out.
8. (transitive, sports, soccer) To give someone a red card; to send off.

Example Sentences

The company dismissed me after less than a year.

The soldiers were dismissed after the parade.

He dismissed all thoughts of acting again.

The court dismissed the case.

She dismissed the idea as ridiculous.

“He was here,” observed Drina composedly, “and father was angry with him.” ¶ “What?” exclaimed Eileen. “When?” ¶ “This morning, before father went downtown.” ¶ Both Selwyn and Lansing cut in coolly, dismissing the matter with a careless word or two; and coffee was served—cambric tea in Drina’s case.

The late Professor Pat White was an outspoken critic. In his 1986 book Forgotten Railways, he dismissed as smoke and mirrors the oft-used argument that 33% of rail routes carried only 1% of the traffic, as it ignores the fact that a third of the national road network also only carried 2% of cars and lorries. But unlike rail, road got away with it because no mention was made of how much it cost the taxpayer to keep them usable.

By telling the victim to "get over it", the listener dismissed the victim's feelings.

Synonyms for dismiss

Antonyms for dismiss

Related Words

Word Forms

• dismisses
• dismissing
• dismissed

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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