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Synonyms

attendance

American  
[uh-ten-duhns] / əˈtɛn dəns /

noun

  1. the act of attending.

  2. the persons or number of persons present.

    an attendance of more than 300 veterans.


idioms

  1. dance attendance, to be obsequious in one's attentions or service; attend constantly.

    He was given a larger office and several assistants to dance attendance on him.

attendance British  
/ əˈtɛndəns /

noun

  1. the act or state of attending

  2. the number of persons present

    an attendance of 5000 at the festival

  3. obsolete attendants collectively; retinue

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

attendance More Idioms  

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."

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Vocabulary lists containing attendance

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:

While attendance at US parks rose three percent, Disney acknowledged a slowdown in the number of international visitors to its US venues.

From Barron's Aug. 5, 2026

The company did continue to “face headwinds” from international attendance at U.S.-based parks, but said that trend has “moderated” relative to the effect seen in the fiscal second quarter.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 5, 2026

It is understood that the club intends to work with the stadium operators to facilitate Sullivan's attendance at games.

From BBC Aug. 3, 2026

The company said it hit record second-quarter concert attendance of 49 million fans, with international attendance at stadiums, arenas, and festivals all up more than 20%.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 30, 2026

After taking attendance, I asked the students to read in their textbooks, per the instructions that their teacher had left.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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