(~es, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
If you ~ something, you decide or say that it is not important enough for you to think about or consider.
Mr Wakeham ~ed the reports as speculation...
I would certainly ~ any allegations of impropriety by the Labour Party...
= discount
VERB: V n as n, V n
2.
If you ~ something from your mind, you stop thinking about it.
I ~ed him from my mind...
‘It’s been a lovely day,’ she said, ~ing the episode.
= banish
VERB: V n from n, V n
3.
When an employer ~es an employee, the employer tells the employee that they are no longer needed to do the job that they have been doing.
...the power to ~ civil servants who refuse to work...
= sack, fire
VERB: V n
4.
If you are ~ed by someone in authority, they tell you that you can go away from them.
Two more witnesses were called, heard and ~ed...
VERB: be V-ed
5.
When a judge ~es a case against someone, he or she formally states that there is no need for a trial, usually because there is not enough evidence for the case to continue.
An American judge yesterday ~ed murder charges against Dr Jack Kevorkian.
...their attempt to have the case against them ~ed.
VERB: V n, have n V-ed