Which one should you use?
Use despedir as a formal way to describe firing someone or terminating an employment contract. Use exonerar for dismissal within formal government or legal contexts. For a more versatile formal option meaning to dismiss, discharge or release, use dispensar. Finally, if you are speaking informally, you can use the expression mandar embora to mean 'to dismiss'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle demitido can be used as an adjective to describe a person who has been dismissed from a job. To express the act of resigning or quitting one's own position, use the reflexive form demitir-se.
How do you pronounce it?
{'ipa': '/de.miˈtʃi(ʁ)/', 'syllables': 3, 'stressed_syllable': '3 of 3'}
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using demitir when you want to say you are 'dismissing an idea or a thought'. In Portuguese, demitir is almost exclusively reserved for terminating employment.
Did you know?
- The Portuguese verb demitir shares a distant ancestor with the English word 'mission' through the Latin 'mittō', which means 'to send'. Both words carry the underlying concept of sending something or someone forth.
- Because dispensar is used for both dismissing a student from class and firing an employee, the context of the setting determines if the person is being freed from a task or losing their livelihood.
- In Brazil, the phrase mandar embora literally means 'to send away', but using it to dismiss someone from a job is often perceived as softer or less bureaucratic than demitir.
Examples in context
- O empregador decidiu dispensar o funcionárioThe employer decided to dismiss the employee
- O chefe decidiu despedir o colaboradorThe boss decided to dismiss the employee
- O ministro exonerou o diretor da empresaThe minister dismissed the company's director
- O chefe mandou embora o funcionárioThe boss dismissed the employee
- O gerente demitiu o colaboradorThe manager dismissed the employee
- O chefe decidiu demitir o funcionário.The boss decided to dismiss the employee.
- Eles não podem demitir ninguém agora.They cannot dismiss anyone right now.
- A empresa vai demitir dez pessoas.The company is going to dismiss ten people.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Mariana are talking about company news.
- GabrielVocê soube que vão demitir o Pedro?Did you hear they are going to dismiss Pedro?
- MarianaSim, Mariana acabou de me contar.Yes, Mariana just told me.
- GabrielPor que decidiram demitir ele agora?Why did they decide to dismiss him now?
- MarianaAcho que é por causa dos cortes.I think it is because of the cuts.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry demitir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries demitir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
