absent
absent
(æbsənt )Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense absents, present participle absenting, past tense, past participle absentedpronunciation note: The adjective and preposition are pronounced (æbsənt). The verb is pronounced (æbsent).
1. adjective [usually verb-link ADJECTIVE]
If someone or something is absent from a place or situation where they should be or where they usually are, they are not there.
He has been absent from his desk for two weeks. [+ from]
The pictures, too, were absent from the walls.
Any soldier failing to report would be considered absent without leave and punished accordingly.
2. adjective
If someone appears absent, they are not paying attention because they are thinking about something else.
'Nothing,' Rosie said in an absent way.
absently (æbsəntli ) adverb
He nodded absently.
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
4. verb
If someone absents themselves from a place where they should be or where they usually are, they do not go there or they do not stay there.
[formal]She was old enough to absent herself from the lunch table if she chose. [V pron-refl from n]
He pleaded guilty before a court martial to absenting himself without leave. [VERB pronoun-reflexive]
