absence

American  

[ab-suhns] / ˈæb səns /

noun

1. state of being away or not being present.

   I acted as supervisor in his absence. Your absence was noted on the records.

   Antonyms:

   presence

2. period of being away.

   an absence of several weeks.

3. failure to attend or appear when expected.

4. lack; deficiency.

   the absence of proof.

5. inattentiveness; preoccupation; absent-mindedness.

   absence of mind.

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absence British  

/ ˈæbsəns /

noun

1. the state of being away

2. the time during which a person or thing is away

3. the fact of being without something; lack

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absence Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing absence

• conspicuous by its absence

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Etymology

Origin of absence

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin absentia; absent, -ia

Example Sentences

In the absence of profits, the tech bros increasingly emphasize an old metric that was popular during the dot-com bubble: the number of users, with a new flavor.

From MarketWatch

In the absence of judicial authority for the search, they argued the move was "obviously unlawful".

From BBC

As an only child, you had every reason to believe, in the absence of the will, that you were the sole heir of the mobile home.

From MarketWatch

“All I can say now is I’m very, very happy that I’m standing here today and representing Kazakhstan,” said 18-year-old Sofia Samodelkina when she returned to international competition last year, after a three-year absence.

From The Wall Street Journal

So, even in the absence of the Justice Department inquiry, it wouldn’t be unusual for the typical vetting and confirmation process to take weeks.

From Barron's

Related Words

• dearth
• deficiency
• drought
• lack
• omission