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 The virtues of omission, however, should not be confused with those of commission. Yasheng Huang, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2023 Aside from those omissions, the Apple Watch SE shares many of the same features found on its higher-price sibling. Jon Bitner, wsj.com, 22 Sep. 2023 With any errors or omissions, email tdashiell@baltsun.com or amaluso@baltsun.com. Carroll County Times Staff, Baltimore Sun, 19 Sep. 2023 In July 2017, a Harris County grand jury indicted Jefferson on a charge of intentionally and knowingly injuring a child by omission causing serious bodily injury, according to court records. Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2023 One surprising omission: a swimming pool or even a hot tub; those are part of the building’s amenities, along with a top-of-the-line gym. Howard Walker, Robb Report, 10 Sep. 2023 While there are plenty of congratulatory messages going around, one category is causing a stir on social media because of a high-profile omission. Katie Bowlby, Country Living, 7 Sep. 2023 This, to be fair, is not a negligent omission in writer-director-star Pietro Castellitto’s script, which tells us early on that Enea, the elder son of a wealthy Roman family, ostensibly manages a high-end sushi restaurant, atop an assortment of more underhand dealings. Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2023 These include the omission of accounts at a credit union that last year were worth $100,000 to $250,000 and a life insurance policy in his wife’s name that was valued at less than $100,000. Mark Sherman, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2023 See More

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 2 Oct. 2023.

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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