- [uncountable, countable] the fact of somebody being away from a place where they are usually expected to be; the occasion or period of time when somebody is away
- in somebody's absence The decision was made in my absence (= while I was not there).
- We did not receive any news during his long absence.
- absence from… absence from work
- repeated absences from school
Extra Examples- Ann chaired the meeting in Kate's absence.
- Nobody had noticed her absence.
- You will not be paid for the full period of absence.
- Your son has had too many absences from school.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- extended
- lengthy
- long
- …
- period
- have
- notice
- explain
- …
- during somebody’s absence
- in somebody’s absence
- absence from
- …
- conspicuous by your absence
- notable by your absence
- leave of absence
- …
- [uncountable] the fact of somebody/something not existing or not being available; a lack of something
- I was surprised by the absence of any women on the board of directors.
- in the absence of somebody/something The case was dismissed in the absence of any definite proof.
Extra Examples- In the absence of stone, most houses in the area are built of wood.
- a conspicuous absence of evidence
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- complete
- total
- virtual
- …
- in the absence of
opposite presence
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French, from Latin absentia, from absens, absent- ‘being absent’, present participle of abesse, from ab- ‘from, away’ + esse ‘to be’.
Idioms
See absence in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee absence in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishabsence makes the heart grow fonder
- (saying) used to say that when you are away from somebody that you love, you love them even more
conspicuous by your absence
- not present in a situation or place, when it is obvious that you should be there
- The meeting went well but Nigel was conspicuous by his absence.
Check pronunciation:
absence