dismiss

English

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin dimissus (“sent away, dismissed, banished”), perfect passive participle of dīmittō (“send away, dismiss”), from dis- +‎ mittere (“to send”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /dɪsˈmɪs/
(UK) IPA^(key): /dɪzˈmɪs/
Audio (US) (file)
Audio (AU) (file)
Hyphenation: dis‧miss
Rhymes: -ɪs

Verb

dismiss (third-person singular simple present dismisses, present participle dismissing, simple past and past participle dismissed)

(transitive) To discharge; to end the employment or service of.
The company dismissed me after less than a year.
(transitive) To order to leave.
The soldiers were dismissed after the parade.
(transitive) To dispel; to rid one’s mind of.
He dismissed all thoughts of acting again.
(transitive) To reject; to refuse to accept.
The court dismissed the case.
- 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter IV, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, OCLC 24962326:
  “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.
(transitive) To invalidate; to treat as unworthy of serious consideration.
By telling the victim to "get over it", the listener dismissed the victim's feelings.
- 2022 January 12, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Unhappy start to 2022”, in RAIL, number 948, page 3:
  As for the IRP, Secretary of State Grant Shapps continues to peddle snake oil, smoke and mirrors. His reaction to near-universal IRP condemnation from politicians, local and national media, and all but a few rail specialists was to dismiss the lot of us (in the condescending and patronising tone we have now come to expect) as "critics and naysayers".
(transitive) To send or put away, to discard with disregard, contempt or disdain. (sometimes followed by as).
She dismissed him with a wave of the hand.
(transitive, cricket) To get a batsman out.
He was dismissed for 99 runs.
(transitive, soccer) To give someone a red card; to send off.
- 2010 December 28, Kevin Darlin, “West Brom 1-3 Blackburn”, in BBC:
  Kalinic later saw red for a rash tackle on Paul Scharner before Gabriel Tamas was dismissed for bringing down Diouf.

Synonyms

(to end the employment or service of): see Thesaurus:lay off

Coordinate terms

brush off
send someone packing
send someone to the showers

Related terms

dismissal
dismissive
dismission

Translations

to discharge

Arabic: طَرَدَ‎ (ar) (ṭarada), أَقَالَ‎ (ʾaqāla)
Azerbaijani: çıxarmaq (az), azad etmək, kənar etmək, kənarlaşdırmaq (az), işdən çıxarmaq
Belarusian: звальня́ць impf (zvalʹnjácʹ), зво́льніць pf (zvólʹnicʹ)
Bulgarian: уволня́вам (bg) impf (uvolnjávam)
Catalan: destituir (ca), acomiadar (ca), despedir (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 解僱／解雇 (zh) (jiěgù)
Czech: propustit (cs)
Dutch: ontslaan (nl), de laan uitsturen
Finnish: irtisanoa (fi), sanoa irti (fi), erottaa (fi)
French: renvoyer (fr), limoger (fr), licencier (fr), démettre (fr)
Galician: despedir
German: entlassen (de)
Hungarian: elbocsát (hu), elküld (hu), felmond (hu)
Italian: licenziare (it), congedare (it), mandare via, dimettere (it)
Japanese: 解雇する (ja) (かいこする, kaiko suru)
Korean: 해고하다 (ko) (haegohada)
Maori: ākiri
Mizo: bàn
Mongolian: халах (mn) (xalax)
Oriya: ବରଖାସ୍ତ (or) (bôrôkhastô)
Portuguese: demitir (pt), dispensar (pt)
Romanian: destitui (ro), concedia (ro), revoca (ro), demite (ro)
Russian: увольня́ть (ru) impf (uvolʹnjátʹ), уво́лить (ru) pf (uvólitʹ)
Scottish Gaelic: cuir à dreuchd
Spanish: despedir (es), echar (es)
Swedish: avskeda (sv), sparka (sv), entlediga (sv), upplösa (sv)
Ukrainian: звільня́ти impf (zvilʹnjáty), звільни́ти pf (zvilʹnýty)
Urdu: بَرْخاسْت‎ (barxāst)
Vietnamese: đuổi (vi), thải hồi (vi), sa thải (vi)
Yiddish: ^{(please verify)} משלח זײַן‎ (meshaleyekh zayn)

to order to leave

Bulgarian: отпращам (bg) (otpraštam)
Dutch: wegsturen (nl)
Finnish: häätää (fi), ajaa pois
French: renvoyer (fr), (imperative) rompez (fr)
German: entlassen (de)
Hungarian: (a gathering) feloszlat (hu), (in military) elenged (hu), távozást engedélyez, (the order itself) „oszolj”
Italian: rompere le righe, in libertà
Mizo: kaltír, chhuah
Portuguese: dispensar (pt)
Romanian: alunga (ro)
Russian: отпуска́ть (ru) impf (otpuskátʹ)
Swahili: kuaga (sw)
Swedish: entlediga (sv), skingra (sv)
Ukrainian: відпуска́ти (vidpuskáty)
Vietnamese: đuổi (vi), giải tán (vi) (a group of people)
Yiddish: משלח זײַן‎ (meshaleyekh zayn)

to dispel

Dutch: wegdrukken (nl), onderdrukken (nl)
Finnish: hylätä (fi), unohtaa (fi)
Hungarian: elhesseget (hu), elűz (hu)
Italian: scacciare (it)
Maori: whakaparahako (of an idea or thought), whakamahea
Mizo: hnawt darh
Portuguese: descartar (pt)
Spanish: disipar (es)
Swedish: avfärda (sv)
Vietnamese: gạt bỏ (vi), xua đuổi (vi)

to reject, refuse to accept

Bulgarian: отхвърлям (bg) (othvǎrljam)
Catalan: rebutjar (ca)
Dutch: afwijzen (nl), weigeren (nl)
Finnish: hylätä (fi), tyrmätä (fi)
French: rejeter (fr)
German: abweisen (de), einstellen (de), zurückweisen (de)
Greek:
Ancient: ἀποδοκιμάζω (apodokimázō)
Hungarian: ejt (hu), elutasít (hu)
Italian: respingere (it), rigettare (it), archiviare (it), mandar via
Maori: whakahoe
Mizo: hnâwl, hnar
Portuguese: rejeitar (pt), dispensar (pt), arquivar (pt)
Spanish: rechazar (es)
Swedish: avfärda (sv), avvisa (sv)
Vietnamese: bỏ (vi), bác bỏ (vi), bác (vi)

to send or put away, to discard with disregard, contempt or disdain

Dutch: wegwuiven (nl), afwimpelen (nl)
Hungarian: (to discard) elvet (hu), elutasít (hu), (to send away) elküld (hu), elbocsát (hu)
Maori: whakahoe

cricket: to get a batsman out

French: retirer (fr)
Vietnamese: đánh (vi)

to give someone a red card

Dutch: wegsturen (nl), een rode kaart geven
Finnish: antaa punainen kortti
French: expulser (fr)
German: die rote Karte zeigen
Hungarian: kiállít (hu), leléptet, leküld
Portuguese: expulsar (pt)
Spanish: expulsar (es)
Swedish: få rött kort
Vietnamese: đuổi (vi)

References

“dismiss”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.