absentee

noun

ab·sen·tee ˌab-sən-ˈtē

: one that is absent: such as

: a proprietor that lives away from his or her estate or business

: one missing from work or school

absentee adjective

Examples of absentee in a Sentence

There were 10 sick absentees that day.

Recent Examples on the Web This comes as Youngkin and his associated PAC, Spirit of Virginia, have been going all in on a campaign to register voters and promote early and absentee voting. —

Julia Johnson, Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2023 The agency left to her, in a world where male doctors can refuse her care and absentee partners can advocate for dangerous solutions, is self-destructive and scarring. —

William Nash, The Conversation, 29 Aug. 2023 That aim is undermined by absentee claims that prevent others from enjoying a spot on the beach for extended periods. —

Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2023 With all precincts reporting, and 58,000 absentee and provisional ballots outstanding, the measure was failing by a margin of 57.01% to 42.99%. —

Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2023 In the meantime, advocates and opponents of Issue One will spend the next few weeks mobilizing voters, as well as encouraging early and absentee voting. —

Grace Segers, The New Republic, 12 July 2023 Most of the steps aimed at expanding access to the ballot box — including 45-day, no-excuses early voting; drop boxes for mail-in ballots; in-person voting on Sundays; and the permanent absentee list — were passed between 2020 and 2021, when Democrats had majorities in the General Assembly. —

Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 20 July 2023 About 58,000 absentee and provisional ballots were outstanding as of Wednesday. —

Carl Weiser, The Enquirer, 10 Aug. 2023 Strengthening the nation's democracy heavily depends on voter participation by removing barriers to the ballot box and proposing measures such as no-excuse absentee voting to ensure their constitutional rights, Brennan said. —

Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 27 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'absentee.' 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

borrowed from Anglo-French abscenté "person holding property in Ireland but illegally resident in England," from past participle of absenter "to be absent," verbal derivative of absent absent entry 1

First Known Use

1537, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of absentee was in 1537

See more words from the same year