attendance
Americannoun
-
the act of attending.
-
the persons or number of persons present.
an attendance of more than 300 veterans.
idioms
noun
-
the act or state of attending
-
the number of persons present
an attendance of 5000 at the festival
-
obsolete attendants collectively; retinue
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of attendance
1325–75; Middle English < Anglo-French, Middle French. See attend, -ance
Explanation
Attendance has to do with being present at something, like work or school. If you never miss a day, you have perfect attendance. The concept of attendance has to do with showing up: if you show up for school, then your attendance is not in question. When people miss school or work, they usually need a note from a doctor, explaining why they weren't in attendance. We can also say "The attendance was 100" if 100 people showed up to a meeting. If only three people out of 100 showed up though, you'd say, "Wow. Attendance was terrible."
Vocabulary lists containing attendance
A Graduation Lexicon
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
List 4
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
This show set the record for the largest ever indoor rock concert attendance of 76,896, which would be broken by Led Zeppelin in the same place two years later.
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2026
Antonoff’s ex-girlfriend, “Girls” creator and “Famesick” author Lena Dunham, was also in attendance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
All eyes will also be on US engagement with Brazil, whose foreign minister will be in attendance, after Washington granted entry to Flavio Bolsonaro following his defeat in Sunday's presidential election.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
This is also the first time in Xi's 14 years of leadership that plenum attendance fell below 300.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
He was regular in his school attendance and supposed this was the first day.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
