dismiss
gb/dɪsmˈɪs/ us/dɪsmˈɪs/
B1
English
~ 2200
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B1
action
1
Remove from a job or role
To tell someone they no longer have their job.
Usage pattern:
to dismiss [someone] from [a job/position]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'dismiss' with 'resign'. 'Dismiss' is when the employer ends the job, 'resign' is when the employee chooses to leave.
Synonyms
fire (More informal; commonly used in everyday speech.)
|
terminate (More formal or legal term used in business contexts.)
Antonyms
hire (Opposite action of giving someone a job.)
Collocations
summarily dismiss
|dismiss outright
|dismiss from service
|wrongfully dismiss
Themes
business
|law
|workplace
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The company decided to dismiss the manager after repeated complaints.
- She was dismissed from her position for poor performance.
- The board voted to dismiss the CEO.
- He was dismissed without notice after the incident.
Learner examples
- The boss dismissed the worker.
- She was dismissed from her job.
- They dismissed him after one year.
- He was dismissed for being late many times.
Verb
B2
action
2
Reject as unimportant or invalid
To say that something is not important and not think about it anymore.
Usage pattern:
to dismiss [an idea/suggestion/concern]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'dismiss' with 'refuse'. 'Dismiss' is about judging something as unimportant, while 'refuse' is about not agreeing to do something.
Synonyms
reject (General refusal; may be broader than just considering importance.)
|
ignore (Not pay attention to; less formal and may lack active judgment.)
Antonyms
consider (To think about something carefully.)
Collocations
dismiss an idea
|dismiss concerns
|dismiss criticism
|dismiss as irrelevant
Themes
thinking
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The minister dismissed the allegations as baseless.
- She dismissed his concerns and went ahead with the plan.
- The theory was quickly dismissed by experts.
- He dismissed the suggestion without discussion.
Learner examples
- The teacher dismissed my idea.
- She dismissed his question as silly.
- He dismissed their plan as too risky.
- They dismissed her story as false.
Verb
B1
action
3
End a meeting or gathering officially
To say that a meeting or class is finished and people can go.
Usage pattern:
to dismiss [a class/meeting/group]
Common mistake:
Learners might confuse 'dismiss' with 'cancel'. 'Dismiss' means to end something that has started; 'cancel' means it will not happen at all.
Synonyms
adjourn (More formal; often used in legal or official contexts.)
Antonyms
convene (To bring people together for a meeting or event.)
Collocations
dismiss early
|dismiss class
|dismiss court
Themes
education
|business
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The judge dismissed the court until Monday.
- The teacher dismissed the class ten minutes early.
- The meeting was dismissed after all items were discussed.
Learner examples
- The teacher dismissed the class at 3 p.m.
- The judge dismissed the court for lunch.
- We dismissed the meeting early today.
unknown
formal
B2
action
4
End a case without trial or verdict
When a judge says that a legal case will not continue because there is no reason for it.
Usage pattern:
to dismiss [a case/charges]
Synonyms
throw out (Informal equivalent used in legal contexts to mean reject a case.)
Antonyms
proceed with (To continue with a legal process.)
Collocations
dismiss charges
|dismiss a lawsuit
Themes
law
Examples
- The judge dismissed the charges due to lack of evidence.
- The lawsuit was dismissed before it reached trial.
- Her lawyer filed a motion to dismiss the case.
Learner examples
- The judge dismissed the case.
- They dismissed the charges against him.
- The court dismissed her lawsuit.
Grammar
Dictionary form
dismiss
IPA
GB/dɪsmˈɪs/
US/dɪsmˈɪs/
Syllables & stress
dis - miss (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (miss)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: dismiss
- 3rd Person Singular: dismisses
- Present Participle: dismissing
- Past: dismissed
Word family
Forms
dismisses
verb
dismissing
verb
dismissed
verb
Core family
dismissal
noun B2
dismissive
adjective
Related words
dismissively
adverb
Advanced or less common
dismissible
adjective
dismissiveness
noun
Expressions
dismiss out of hand
1/dɪsmˈɪs ˈaʊt əv hˈænd/
idiom
Reject immediately without thought
To say no to something right away without thinking about it.
Examples
- She dismissed his proposal out of hand.
- The idea was dismissed out of hand by the committee.
motion to dismiss
1/mˈoʊʃən tə dɪsmˈɪs/
fixed phrase
technical
Legal request to end case early
A request in court asking the judge to stop a case before it goes to trial.
Examples
- The defense filed a motion to dismiss the charges.
- Her lawyer submitted a motion to dismiss based on lack of evidence.