noun
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something that has been omitted or neglected
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the act of omitting or the state of having been omitted
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of omission
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin omissiōn- (stem of omissiō ), equivalent to omiss ( us ) (past participle of omittere to let go; see omit) + -iōn- -ion; see mission
Explanation
If you make an omission, you leave something out. If you are a restaurant reviewer and you give a glowing review to a new restaurant but fail to mention that you own half of it, that's a significant omission. The noun omission comes from the verb, omit, which means to leave out. Omissions can be purposeful or a result of neglect. Was the omission of Aunt Suzy from your wedding invitation something you meant to do, or an accident? If you're cleaning the house but don't take out the garbage, you'll regret your omission when the garbage is stinking up the kitchen.
Vocabulary lists containing omission
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
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Language and Grammar - Middle School
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Ethan Frome
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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 expansive cast list for “Avengers: Doomsday” includes members of the Avengers past and present, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and many others, but one glaring omission has been Tom Holland as Spider-Man.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
The sequel tells you what that omission was worth: It was 2021, nearly a decade after the seizure, before Indiana finally gave up on keeping Timbs’ car.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
The reason for its omission, one assumes, was the likely conclusion by the editors that Maugham was but a dilettante, not an expert, who believed that Zurbarán “was no genius.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
While much of the blame for this omission can be squarely placed on Infantino as the longtime leader of the association, the soccer clubs themselves must also be held accountable.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
This apparently insignificant omission caused a great deal of trouble; it kindled the controversy over the start of the millennium.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
The report was compiled by hand via letter-writing to organizations and officials throughout the U.S. and has some omissions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
But it turned out to be a weak case, one that falls apart under the weight of its own contradictions, omissions, and leaps of illogic.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
Lastly, some omissions are very simple to explain .
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
Our awards columnist surveys the most unexpected inclusions and omissions of the 2026 Emmy nominations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
But Mobutu was just getting organized in ’61, and still given to peculiar omissions.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
