Absence
//ˈæb.s(ə)n̩s// noun
noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A state of being away or withdrawn from a place or from companionship uncountable, usually
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder."
- 2 failure to be present wordnet
- 3 The period of someone being away. uncountable, usually
"During Jane's absence, Mark will be taking charge."
- 4 the state of being absent wordnet
- 5 Failure to be present where one is expected, wanted, or needed; nonattendance; deficiency. uncountable, usually
"Harry Kane was an absence in that first half. He touched the ball 11 times despite Spurs taking 62% of possession."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 the occurrence of an abrupt, transient loss or impairment of consciousness (which is not subsequently remembered), sometimes with light twitching, fluttering eyelids, etc.; common in petit mal epilepsy wordnet
- 7 Lack; deficiency; non-existence. uncountable, usually
"He had an absence of enthusiasm."
- 8 the time interval during which something or somebody is away wordnet
- 9 Inattention to things present; abstraction (of mind). uncountable, usually
"absence of mind"
- 10 Temporary loss or disruption of consciousness, with sudden onset and recovery, and common in epilepsy. uncountable, usually
- 11 Lack of contact between blades. uncountable, usually
Example
More examples"You have to account for your absence."
Etymology
From Middle English absence, from Old French absence, ausence, from Latin absentia, from absēns (“absent”), present active participle of absum (“I am away or absent”), from ab (“from, away from”) + sum (“I am”).
Related phrases
More for "absence"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.