Meaning & use
dismiss
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To officially remove someone from their job.
Grammar: Takes an object: dismiss an employee. Often used in passive: be dismissed from a job.
Patterns
- dismiss someone
- dismiss someone from something
- be dismissed from something
The manager was dismissed for stealing company funds.
She was dismissed from her position after repeated warnings.
The company dismissed 200 workers last month.
verbtransitive
To refuse to consider an idea, opinion, or feeling as important or worth attention.
Grammar: Takes an object: dismiss an idea. Often followed by 'as': dismiss something as unnecessary.
Patterns
- dismiss something
- dismiss something as something
- dismiss an idea
The professor dismissed the student's theory as unscientific.
Don't dismiss her concerns; they are valid.
He dismissed the rumor with a wave of his hand.
verbtransitive
To allow someone to leave, especially at the end of a class, meeting, or duty.
Grammar: Takes an object: dismiss the class. Often used in passive: the class was dismissed.
Patterns
- dismiss someone
- dismiss a class
- be dismissed
The teacher dismissed the class early today.
The judge dismissed the jury for the weekend.
After the meeting, the chair dismissed the participants.
Word forms
| third person singular | dismisses |
|---|---|
| past tense | dismissed |
| past participle | dismissed |
| -ing form | dismissing |
Common combinations
- dismiss an idea
- The committee dismissed the idea as too expensive.
- dismiss a claim
- The scientist dismissed the claim as baseless.
- dismiss an employee
- The company dismissed the employee for misconduct.
- dismiss a class
- The teacher dismissed the class five minutes early.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fire
- Fire is more informal and direct; dismiss is more formal and often used in official contexts.
- reject
- Reject means to refuse to accept something; dismiss often implies treating it as unworthy of consideration.
- discharge
- Discharge is more formal and often used in military or medical contexts; dismiss is more general.
Opposites
Word family
- dismissal noun
- The act of removing someone from a job or rejecting an idea.
- dismissive adjective
- Showing that you think something is not worth considering.
Commonly confused: dismiss or dispel?
dismiss vs dispel
Dispel means to make a feeling or belief disappear; dismiss means to reject or remove from a job. They are not interchangeable.
Practice
The teacher _____ the class early because of the snowstorm.
Choose one answer.
Dismissed means allowed to leave, which fits the context of ending a class early. Dismembered means cut off limbs, dispel means make disappear, and discharged is more formal and less common for a class.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dismiss”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.