absentee
Americannoun
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a person who is absent, especially from work or school.
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a person who is defined by their absence, such as a landowner who does not live on certain property owned or a voter who is permitted to cast a ballot by mail.
noun
Etymology
Origin of absentee
Explanation
An absentee is someone who doesn't show up when she's supposed to. A high school student who's an absentee too often may end up failing some classes. If the star player of your basketball team doesn't show up for the big game, she's an absentee. Likewise, if you skip work to go to the beach on a beautiful day, your boss will consider you an absentee. If you fill out an absentee ballot before an election, you're using a special form for voters who won't be physically present at the polls. The Latin root is absentem, "be away from."
Vocabulary lists containing absentee
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for November 1–November 7, 2025
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Government by the People, Sections 4–7
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for May 25–May 31, 2025
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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.
Another law, the 1986 Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, allows for military and abroad citizens to vote.
From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026
Absentee ballots are fed into machines as well, and early voting, done at the board of elections, is the same as in-person voting.
From Slate • Aug. 26, 2025
Absentee and mail voting were more widely adopted during the coronavirus pandemic, as election officials sought ways to allow people to cast ballots more safely.
From Reuters • Oct. 26, 2023
Absentee ballots must be postmarked by the day of the runoff, Tuesday, and must be received by Sept. 6.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 25, 2023
A Absentee tax, the propriety of, considered with reference to Ireland, 379.
From An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Garnier, Germain
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.
