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dismiss

/dɪsˈmɪs//dɪsˈmɪs/·verb
to reject an idea as unworthy of thought, or to send someone away
Fig. 1 — A petition lands on the desk, closely written, clearly the work of someone's whole evening.
01Definition

To dismiss is to wave something away — to decide a person, idea, or worry does not deserve your attention, and to be done with it. A teacher dismisses a class, a judge dismisses a case, a critic dismisses a theory as nonsense. The academic sense is the sharp one: to dismiss an argument is to reject it, often too quickly, without the labour of proof. That is what separates it from refute — you refute a claim by disproving it, but you can dismiss a perfectly plausible idea simply by refusing to engage with it.

02In use
  • iThe committee dismissed the so-called reforms without any serious discussion.
  • iiIt would be a mistake to dismiss such a robust body of evidence.
  • iiiShe was dismissed from her post soon after the scandal broke.
03Collocations
  • dismiss an idea
  • dismiss out of hand
  • dismiss concerns
  • summarily dismiss
  • dismiss a case

Family dismissal (noun) · dismissive (adjective)

04Relations

=reject, wave away, discount, rebuff, discard

≠consider, entertain, embrace

06TOEFL & IELTS

Excellent for argument essays. 'Dismiss out of hand' and 'dismiss concerns / criticism' carry a precise note of rejecting without examination, and the adjective dismissive describes that attitude. Examiners value the contrast with refute: to refute is to disprove, to dismiss is merely to brush aside. The 'send away / fire' sense also turns up in reading passages about employment.

07Asked
What does it mean to dismiss a case in law?
A judge dismisses a case by ending it without a full trial on the merits. The crucial split is the terms: dismissed with prejudice is permanent — it cannot be brought again; dismissed without prejudice leaves the door open to refile. The word keeps its core of sending away, but here what is sent away is the lawsuit itself.
What does it mean to dismiss an idea or argument?
To reject it as not worth considering — and often too fast, without the work of disproof. This is the academic sense the scene above dramatizes: a REJECTED stamp coming down before a single line is read, the rejection always beating the reading to the page. To dismiss a claim is to refuse to engage with it, not to defeat it.
What is the difference between dismiss and refute?
To refute is to disprove — you marshal evidence and show a claim is false. To dismiss is merely to brush aside, granting the claim no examination at all. You can dismiss a perfectly sound argument by refusing to look at it; you can only refute one by engaging it. Examiners prize the distinction: refuting is work, dismissing is a shrug.
What is the difference between dismiss and fire?
Same event, different register. Dismiss is the formal, often British word for ending someone's employment ('dismissed for misconduct'), and it is what appears in contracts and tribunals. Fire and sack are informal. 'Unfair dismissal' is the fixed legal phrase; no one sues for 'unfair firing'. In writing, dismiss is the safe, neutral choice.
What does 'dismissive' mean?
Showing that you think something or someone is not worth attention — a dismissive wave, a dismissive tone, 'dismissive of her concerns'. It is the adjective for the attitude behind the verb: not just rejecting an idea but signalling it was beneath consideration. It stings precisely because it withholds the courtesy of engagement.
What does 'dismiss out of hand' mean?
To reject something immediately, without any thought or investigation — 'the proposal was dismissed out of hand'. 'Summarily dismiss' means the same. Both sharpen the verb's core flaw: the speed is the point, and the speed is the problem. The scene above runs on it — every petition stamped and swept before it is read.
What is the noun form of dismiss?
Dismissal — and it inherits all the verb's senses at once: a job dismissal (being let go), a legal dismissal (a case ended), a dismissal of an idea (a rejection), even a school dismissal (the end of the day). One noun, four settings, all built on the same act of sending away.