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to dismiss

to dismiss

70 3.3
To remove someone from their job
  • verb
  • /dɪsˈmɪs/
translation icon : despedir
  • An investigation was undertaken and five months later, I was dismissed from my role at the college and made unemployed.
  • dismiss an employee
  • be dismissed from a job
  • dismiss workers

Examples

  • Recently, Delacroy had to dismiss an employee, Eleanor Green, who was suffering severe psychological problems.

  • Mr. Bailes, a bus driver, was dismissed after a saliva drug test picked up traces of cocaine.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Our Finance Minister has been dismissed!

  • So redundancy is a fair reason to dismiss an employee.

  • Number 6: Reform the tenure review process to make it easier to dismiss ineffective teachers.

    Academic text (2015)
  • As a result, its editor was briefly dismissed last year, although he was later reinstated.

    Academic text (1993)
  • He was suspected of robbing a bank while on active service in Northern Ireland, and he was dismissed.

  • Tenured teachers can be dismissed after two consecutive years of unsatisfactory reviews.

    Academic text (2013)
  • In an attempt to rejuvenate the political leadership, Castro dismissed several high-ranking officials.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The manager decided to dismiss the employee due to repeated tardiness.

Synonyms

to remove
vsto dismiss
1.5

To move something or someone away from a place

is the specific act of ending a person's employment at work
to fire
vsto dismiss
2.8

To officially make someone leave their job

is broader and can be used in formal or legal contexts
to let go
vsto dismiss
852 3.8

To stop employing someone so they lose their job

is the straightforward term for terminating someone's employment
to throw out
vsto dismiss
236 3.0

To force someone to leave a place, job, or group

focuses specifically on ending a person's employment relationship
to discharge
vsto dismiss
  • Formal
100 4.4

Officially release someone from a duty, job, or responsibility

is specifically about ending employment rather than other obligations
to terminate
vsto dismiss
  • Formal
90 5.5

To make someone stop working for a company

is the everyday concept of removing someone from their job
to lay off
vsto dismiss
87 3.3

Stop employing someone because the company cannot afford them, not because of bad work

covers removal for any reason, not only economic staff cuts
to force out
vsto dismiss
46 4.4

To make someone leave a job by pressure or threats

is the neutral process of ending employment without implied coercion
to send away
vsto dismiss
43 3.0

Make someone leave a job or group because of a problem

is the formal act of ending employment rather than merely asking to leave
to sack
vsto dismiss
  • UK
37 3.5

To make someone leave their job

is the neutral formal term for removing someone from employment
to can
vsto dismiss
  • Informal
33 7.7

To fire someone from their job in informal speech

is the neutral word for formally ending someone's employment
to depose
vsto dismiss
31 7.4

To remove a leader from office, often by force

applies to ending ordinary employment rather than only powerful offices
to boot out
vsto dismiss
  • Informal
15 5.8

Force someone to leave a job or organization suddenly

is the standard term for ending someone's employment regardless of manner
to give (someone) the boot
vsto dismiss
  • Informal
12 7.4

To stop someone from working at their job, usually because of bad work or behavior

is the general term used for ending someone's job
to send someone packing
vsto dismiss
  • Informal
4 7.9

Make someone leave quickly and forcefully

describes ending employment more generally and without the force implication
to give notice
vsto dismiss
  • Formal
2 4.1

Formally tell an employee that their job will end

is the actual act of removing someone from their job
to give (someone) the sack
vsto dismiss
  • UK
1 5.2

To make someone leave their job, often as punishment or during job cuts

is the standard term for ending an employment relationship
to sack someone
vsto dismiss
  • UK
4.8

To stop employing someone, often suddenly as punishment

is a general term for removing someone from employment without detail
to give the sack
vsto dismiss
  • UK
5.9

To tell someone they must leave their job

is the neutral formal word for terminating someone's employment
to give the axe
vsto dismiss
  • UK
7.4

To suddenly end someone's job or a relationship, often without warning

is the neutral concept for ending employment without colourful language
to hand someone their cards
vsto dismiss
  • Informal
9.3

To tell someone they have lost their job or show the truth about their situation

refers only to ending a person's job, not to revealing facts

Antonyms

1.4

To give someone a job and pay them for their work

236 3.4

To keep having something such as a job or possession

Phrasal Verbs

59 4.6

To say someone or something is not worth taking seriously without careful thought

How Severe

to dismiss
70 3.3
to demote
37 5.6
to suspend
  • Formal
289 4.2
to reprimand
  • Formal
33 6.1
to warn
1.0

Surface Forms

dismiss infinitive
dismissed past
dismissed past participle
dismissing present participle
dismisses third person singular

Morphology

dismiss = miss (opaque) = dis + miss

The employment-related sense derives from the same historical formation, but 'miss' does not mean 'remove from post' in modern English, making the relation non-transparent for learners.

Etymology

Dismiss comes from the Latin parts dis- 'away' and mittere 'to send', so it literally means to 'send away' a person. The same root appears in words like mission and transmit, and this is why to dismiss someone at work is to remove or 'send away' them from their job.