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# absence

«absence» in Mova's school dictionary: **being away from a place, like school or work, when you…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (absence; an absence, absences)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Absence is being away from a place, like school or work, when you should be there. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absence/#m1)

2) An absence is a time when someone is away. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absence/#m2)

3) Absence of something means it is not there or there is none of it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absence/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In school, absences are recorded in the register; too many absences are a problem, and parents write a note to explain. In science, «in the absence of light» plants cannot make food. In maths attendance problems, present = total − absent. Phrases: in the absence of, absence from school, a long absence, leave of absence.

### examples

- She had three absences from school this term. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absence/#x1)
- Your absence was noticed at the meeting. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absence/#x2)
- In the absence of light, plants cannot make food. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absence/#x3)
- After a long absence, the swallows returned. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absence/#x4)
- There were 28 pupils and 3 absences, so 25 were present. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absence/#x5)
- The absence of rain made the grass turn brown. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absence/#x6)
- The teacher marked his absence in the register. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absence/#x7)
- In his absence things are usually quiet on the island. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absence/#x8)

### note

Countable (an absence, absences) and uncountable. The adjective is «absent»; the opposite is «presence». Spelling trap: «absence» with -ence (not -ance or -sense). «Absence makes the heart grow fonder» is a saying meaning you miss people when they are away.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «absence» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/absence/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.