licenziare
to fire (dismiss)
verb lee-chen-TSYAH-reh Rare
Origin: From licenza (licence, permission), from Latin licentia.
Also means
to licence
Usage Note
Licenziare primarily means to dismiss or fire an employee (è stato licenziato = he was fired/let go). It can also mean to grant a licence or degree, though that sense is formal and rare. The reflexive licenziarsi means 'to resign voluntarily'. It takes avere as auxiliary in compound tenses.
Examples
"Il capo ha licenziato tre dipendenti ieri."
Natural Translation
The boss fired three employees yesterday.

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