no-show

[noh-shoh]

See more synonyms for no-show on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who makes a reservation and neither uses nor cancels it.
a person who purchases an admission ticket and doesn't use it.
any absentee.

adjective

not appearing as scheduled or expected.

Origin of no-show

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45; no² + show

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for no-show

away, removed, vanished, missing, defector, escapee, criminal, lawbreaker, ghost, gone, hooky, AWOL, no-show, malingerer, delinquent, deserter, shirker, runaway, renegade, maroon

Examples from the Web for no-show

Contemporary Examples of no-show

Because Wright was a no-show in criminal court to face the loud music and pot bust he already had an outstanding warrant.
The Navy ‘Hero’ Who Pimped an HIV-Positive Teen
M.L. Nestel
December 11, 2014
The next day, with about a dozen reporters lurking in the Legislative Building, Brooks was a no-show at his own news conference.
The Assemblyman Has a Gun: The Steven Brooks Saga
Jon Ralston
January 24, 2013
And Johnny Depp, proclaimed a style icon by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, was a no-show.
CFDA Honors Behind-the-Scenes Fashion Stars and Understated Style
Robin Givhan
June 5, 2012
But Hilltop was running out of money to pay Young for the no-show job.
Witness Testifies He Took Rielle Hunter to an Airport in the Dead of Night
Diane Dimond
May 8, 2012
She had expected to be seated next to Rudolf Nureyev but the dancer was a no-show.
The Getty Family Implosion
Anthony Haden-Guest
February 10, 2011

British Dictionary definitions for no-show

no-show

noun

a person who fails to take up a reserved seat, place, etc, without having cancelled it

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

Word Origin and History for no-show

also no show, "someone who fails to keep an appointment," 1941, from no + show (v.), in the "show up, appear" sense. Originally airline jargon.