absent
Americanadjective
verb (used with object)
-
absents,
present (3rd person singular)
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absented,
past participle, past
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absenting
present participle
preposition
adjective
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away or not present
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lacking; missing
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inattentive; absent-minded
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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absentsimple
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absentssimple
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have absentedperfect
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has absentedperfect
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am absentingprogressive
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are absentingprogressive
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is absentingprogressive
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have been absentingperfect progressive
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has been absentingperfect progressive
Past
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absentedsimple
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had absentedperfect
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was absentingprogressive
-
were absentingprogressive
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had been absentingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of absent
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin absent-, stem of absēns “being away,” present participle of abesse “to be away,” from ab- ab- + esse “to be”
Explanation
Absent means not there. If you absent yourself from class, you're marked as absent. If you have an absent parent, it means they don't live with you or take part in your care. Absent can also describe a state of mind, meaning "not all there" or "lost in thought." If you are absent from class on a test day, you will have to explain your absence, unless your teacher is so absent minded she forgets and just gives you an A.
Vocabulary lists containing absent
Education and Academics, List 2
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Lacking
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The new devices can run Google apps like Gmail, Docs and YouTube – a feature absent from Amazon’s prior tablets – in addition to built-in Amazon apps like Prime Video and Kindle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
"Sometimes our teachers are absent for several weeks without being replaced," Madalena, a Paris student, told the BBC on Tuesday as demonstrations brought out hundreds of thousands across France .
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
He also said he would launch a plan next week to speed up the replacement of absent teachers and begin a broader review of school schedules.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
The council voted 12-0 to put the measure on the ballot, with Councilmembers Heather Hutt, Curren Price and Monica Rodriguez absent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
These factors—cultural, technological, conceptual, political—were absent in China, and hence the Chinese admired clockwork but had no use for it.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
In the mode of Katherine Boo and Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, Flock absents herself from the narrative, allowing us to enter the lives of her subjects and witness moments of almost unbearable intimacy.
From New York Times ● Feb. 13, 2018
I don’t think there is much of a risk of default in the very near term but clearly if it absents official financing then it becomes more of a concern.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 4, 2016
Sinclair, whose prose is famously so eloquent, is here smilingly reticent, and somewhat disconcertingly absents himself before the trip is quite finished – to catch a plane.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 19, 2012
Reason: Under the city charter a mayor who absents himself for more than 30 days loses his office.
From Time Magazine Archive
"So he has no headache," said Della, "and absents himself only from aversion to society?"
From Hubert's Wife A Story for You by Minnie Mary Lee
Rosales absented herself from the archive, letting the images do the talking.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
“The evidence demonstrates that he did not control Oracle, and that he absented himself from the acquisition of NetSuite,” the judge wrote.
From Seattle Times ● May 12, 2023
He absented himself from the traditional marketing of his art, but supported himself in part by selling a trove of Constantin Brancusi sculptures he had acquired.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 19, 2019
By contrast, Mr. Johnson absented himself from Monday’s vote by traveling to Afghanistan, though for hours even cabinet colleagues were unsure of his whereabouts.
From New York Times ● Jun. 25, 2018
This work was strictly voluntary, but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half.
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
"He is deliberately manipulating the court and voluntarily absenting himself."
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2025
He focused on personal priorities like criminal justice reform, and he jousted with rivals in a factionalized West Wing while absenting himself at key moments, to the frustration of colleagues.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 8, 2022
If you can convince him, then he will come to realize that your absenting yourself truly is the easiest solution.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 2, 2022
Rather, when Fleabag is talking to the audience, she is noticeably absenting herself from her real life.
From Slate ● May 16, 2019
No intercourse with Harriet possible but by note; no church for her on Sunday any more than on Christmas Day; and no need to find excuses for Mr. Elton’s absenting himself.
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
