omission

noun

omis·​sion ō-ˈmi-shən How to pronounce omission (audio)
ə-
1
a
: something neglected or left undone
There are a few omissions in the list.
b
: apathy toward or neglect of duty
The police officer was reprimanded for the omission of his duty to inform the suspect of his rights.
2
: the act of omitting : the state of being omitted
Her omission from the team was surprising.

Examples of omission in a Sentence

There are a few omissions in the list. the disk contains a selection of deleted scenes, and a couple of the omissions greatly add to the intelligibility of the movie's plot
Recent Examples on the Web In the heyday of Twitter (remember Twitter?), Oscar watchers would go nuts over esoteric omissions. Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024 The second omission is evident in that powerful moment from the trailer, Paul Atreides’s call to his fighters. Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2024 While the absence of door pockets is an odd omission, the Seltos excels in practicality. Kyle Edward, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 While Black history would be best included in the history of the United States and the world, the glaring and deliberate omissions have constantly led to the revelation of some aspect of Black history that will still seem new to some. Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2024 The Coastal Commission, however, has repeatedly flagged the omission as problematic. Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2024 The win was a bit of an upset, but still less surprising than the film’s omission from the Oscars’ documentary feature category. Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024 With around 160 works spanning media and genres, the exhibition promises to be a far cry from the Met’s last attempt to explore the Harlem Renaissance, a 1969 show with ethnographic-style dioramas and a near-total omission of Black artists, which drew a cyclone of blowback. Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 24 Feb. 2024 In her Time profile for the magazine’s annual Women of the Year list, published on Wednesday, Greta Gerwig broke her silence on her surprising Barbie Oscars snub for best director, as well as Robbie’s omission from the best actress category. Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'omission.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English omissioun, from Anglo-French omission, from Late Latin omission-, omissio, from Latin omittere

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of omission was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near omission

Cite this Entry

“Omission.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omission. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

omission

noun
omis·​sion ō-ˈmish-ən How to pronounce omission (audio)
ə-
1
: something omitted
2
: the act of omitting : the state of being omitted

Legal Definition

omission

noun
omis·​sion ō-ˈmi-shən How to pronounce omission (audio)
1
: something neglected, left out, or left undone
2
: the act, fact, or state of leaving something out or failing to do something especially that is required by duty, procedure, or law
liable for a criminal act or omission

More from Merriam-Webster on omission

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