Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of truancy
Explanation
If you pretend you're sick to stay home from school and then sneak out to a baseball game, that's truancy, meaning it’s an unauthorized absence. In Middle English, truant — the root of truancy — referred to a vagabond or an idler. That meaning still holds true: if you’re accused of truancy, some may say you’re a vagabond or an idler — meaning you’re shirking your duties. Truancy can refer to any absence without permission, but it often refers to being absent from school. If you stay home from school without good reason, you might be hauled into the principal’s office to explain your truancy.
Vocabulary lists containing truancy
Vocabulary: A Rapper's Delight!
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!
To All the Boys I've Loved Before
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!
Hoot
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.
See Examples For:
The jury heard he had been expelled from school for disruptive behaviour and truancy hours before Aria's death, and that his mother had taken away his phone as a punishment.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
In contrast, at Locke, Green Dot agreed to manage an existing, massively struggling, eyesore campus associated with periodic brawls, truancy, single-digit academic proficiency rates, a 40% graduation rate and few college graduates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
Among those surveyed was a Bolton head teacher who said arts subjects had been "systematically devalued" by the curriculum, which had contributed to some students hating school and committing truancy.
From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2026
Older students faced fines or a suspended driver’s license for truancy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2025
Chuck Muckle exhorted the newly arrived lawmen to arrest the protesters for trespassing, truancy, and disturbing the peace.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
He was hospitalized three times for psychiatric issues and had repeated school suspensions, expulsions and truancies much of his life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2018
The reports detailed his history of special education classes and school truancies, as well as 26 juvenile arrests, psychiatric hospitalizations and medical diagnoses, including post-traumatic stress disorder from childhood traumas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2016
Student identification badges will not only immediately show who belongs and who doesn't but also contain bar codes school administrators can instantly scan to show everything from previous tardiness and truancies to medical records.
From Time Magazine Archive
When students realized that attendance officers could not call home to check up on them, Hinsdale schools reported a sudden surge in truancies.
From Time Magazine Archive
Blithe truancies from all control Of Hylë, outings of the soul?
From The Complete Poetical Works of James Russell Lowell by Lowell, James Russell
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.
