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Dismiss Common

Dismiss has 7 different meanings across 1 category:

Verb

Definitions
Verb
1

bar from attention or consideration

"She dismissed his advances"

2

cease to consider; put out of judicial consideration

"This case is dismissed!"

3

stop associating with

"They dropped her after she had a child out of wedlock"

4

terminate the employment of; discharge from an office or position

"The boss fired his secretary today"

"The company terminated 25% of its workers"

5

end one's encounter with somebody by causing or permitting the person to leave

"I was dismissed after I gave my report"

6

declare void

"The President dissolved the parliament and called for new elections"

7

To discharge; to end the employment or service of.

"The manager decided to dismiss three employees due to budget cuts."

In plain English: To dismiss someone means to tell them they can leave because their time is up or you are done with what they were doing.

"The judge dismissed the case due to lack of evidence."

Usage: While often used in legal contexts regarding jury selection, this verb also applies broadly to ending any professional relationship or terminating a discussion. Avoid confusing it with "disperse," which means to scatter people rather than formally release them from duty.

Example Sentences
"The judge dismissed the case due to lack of evidence." verb
"The coach dismissed the team early because of bad weather." verb
"She decided to dismiss his concerns as unfounded rumors." verb
"Please do not dismiss my apology; I truly mean it." verb
Related Terms
Antonyms
engage
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
reject displace remove say farewell change
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
slight discredit shrug off pass off scoff turn a blind eye laugh off disoblige retire pension off clean out furlough squeeze out dismiss

Origin

The word "dismiss" comes from the Middle English term dimissen, which was borrowed directly from Latin. It originally meant to send someone or something away and has retained that core meaning in modern usage.

Rhyming Words
iss diss wiss giss hiss viss kiss siss liss piss miss geiss heiss swiss reiss weiss zeiss bliss priss kriss
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