omission

noun

omis·​sion ō-ˈmi-shən 

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.

Synonyms

• deletion
• elision

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 [e-mail] or [e-mail]. —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

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

Kids Definition

omission

noun

omis·​sion ō-ˈmish-ən 

ə-

1

: something omitted

2

: the act of omitting : the state of being omitted

Legal Definition

omission

noun

omis·​sion ō-ˈmi-shən 

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