Use dismiss when something is treated as unimportant, unlikely, or not worth further thought.
Use dismiss when something is treated as unimportant, unlikely, or not worth further thought.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| She dismissed him careless. | She dismissed him as careless. |
| Do not dismiss of the warning. | Do not dismiss the warning. |
| He dismissed the idea like impossible. | He dismissed the idea as impossible. |
| I dismissed my keys before leaving. | I misplaced my keys before leaving. |
Use dismiss for formal permission or instruction to leave, especially with classes, meetings, witnesses, troops, or staff.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The teacher dismissed to the students. | The teacher dismissed the students. |
| Class dismissed early because of snow. | Class was dismissed early because of snow. |
| Please dismiss me the room. | Please excuse me from the room. |
| The guard dismissed the package from the lobby. | The guard removed the package from the lobby. |
Use dismiss for a formal removal from a job, post, office, or service.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| She dismissed from her job last month. | She was dismissed from her job last month. |
| He dismissed his job to travel. | He quit his job to travel. |
| The company dismissed him of the role. | The company dismissed him from the role. |
| The employee dismissed the company. | The company dismissed the employee. |
Use dismiss when a court or judge stops a legal matter from continuing.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The judge dismissed to the lawsuit. | The judge dismissed the lawsuit. |
| The witness dismissed the case. | The judge dismissed the case. |
| The court dismissed the defendant guilty. | The court found the defendant guilty. |
| The motion dismissed the claim. | The court dismissed the claim. |
Use dismiss in cricket reports for a bowler, fielder, or team getting a batter or side out.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The bowler dismissed three wickets. | The bowler took three wickets. |
| He dismissed for 40 runs. | He was dismissed for 40 runs. |
| The batter dismissed the bowler with a catch. | The bowler dismissed the batter with a catch. |
| The team dismissed the ball after lunch. | The team dismissed the opener after lunch. |
Use dismiss for formal removal, release, rejection, or legal closure, and use context to separate everyday, workplace, courtroom, and cricket senses.
The missing as in dismissed him careless and the wrong object in dismissed three wickets are common errors.
From Middle English dismissen, from Medieval Latin dismittere, a variant of Latin dimittere, meaning "send away", from dis- "apart, away" and mittere "send".
What does dismiss mean?
Dismiss means to send someone away, remove someone from a job, reject something as unimportant, end a legal action, or get a cricket batter out.
How is dismiss used with ideas or claims?
An idea, warning, allegation, or person can be dismissed as unimportant, false, unlikely, or not worth serious attention.
Can dismiss mean fire someone?
Yes. An employer, board, or authority can dismiss someone from a job, office, post, or service.
What does dismiss mean in court?
In law, a judge or court dismisses a case, claim, charge, appeal, or motion when it will not be heard further.
Can a teacher dismiss a class?
Yes. A teacher can dismiss a class by telling the students that they may leave.
What does dismiss mean in cricket?
In cricket, to dismiss a batter means to get that batter out, and a side can be dismissed when its innings is ended.
Is dismiss the same as ignore?
Sometimes. Dismiss often means rejecting or brushing aside something after deciding it does not deserve attention.
What preposition follows dismiss?
The pattern dismiss someone or something as is common, as in dismissed the story as rumor.
What is the origin of dismiss?
Dismiss goes back to Latin dimittere, meaning "send away", through Middle English and Medieval Latin forms.