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dis·miss (dĭs-mĭs)
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tr.v. dis·missed, dis·miss·ing, dis·miss·es
1. To end the employment or service of; discharge.
2. To direct or allow to leave: dismissed troops after the inspection; dismissed the student after reprimanding him.
3.
a. To stop considering; rid one's mind of; dispel: dismissed all thoughts of running for office.
b. To refuse to accept or recognize; reject: dismissed the claim as highly improbable.
4. Law To adjudicate (a cause of action) as insufficient to proceed further in court because of some deficiency in law or fact.
5. Sports
a. To eject (a player or coach) for the remainder of a game.
b. To put out (a batter) in cricket.

[Middle English dismissen, from Medieval Latin dismittere, dismiss-, variant of Latin dīmittere : dī-, dis-, apart; see DIS- + mittere, to send.]

dis·missi·ble adj.
dis·mission (-mĭshən) n.

Synonyms: dismiss, boot1, bounce, can2, discharge, fire, sack1
These verbs mean to terminate the employment of: was dismissed for insubordination; was booted for being late; afraid of being bounced for union activities; wasn't canned because his uncle owns the business; resort workers discharged at the end of the season; was fired unjustly; a reporter sacked for revealing a confidential source. See Also Synonyms at eject.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.