absence
A state of being away or withdrawn from a place or from companionship
Example
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
Other meanings
The period of someone being away.
“During Jane's absence, Mark will be taking charge.”
Failure to be present where one is expected, wanted, or needed; nonattendance; deficiency.
Related words
- absement
- nonabsence
- omniabsence
- pseudoabsence
- absence of mind
- absence seizure
- absence without leave
- conspicuous by one's absence
- in the absence of
- leave of absence
Example sentences
Word history
From Latin "absentia".
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “absence” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.