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truant officer

American  

noun

  1. a public-school official who investigates unauthorized absences from school.


Etymology

Origin of truant officer

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

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.

It wasn’t a truant officer at his door, though — no one had ever come knocking about that.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 19, 2023

Screwy Squirrel decides to go fishing instead of school and the truant officer tries to find out why.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2019

Zurkowski told me that some districts have sent truant officer to their homes. 

From Slate • Mar. 6, 2014

But he found his calling as a truant officer for John Muir High School in Pasadena and in speaking out against local youth street crime.

From New York Times • Jul. 21, 2012

The only thing that's kept me going at Miss Preston's is the way Momma looked at me when the truant officer pulled me away toward the waiting pony.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland