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 of omission

• deletion

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 case underscores an important point that a naturalization certificate is not immune from later review if the government believes it was obtained through fraud or material omissions. — Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Nick Schroeder, an analyst with the Legislative Analyst’s Office, said the Department of Finance didn’t include the raises in the budget nor give direct notice of its absence, saying the only indication of unfunded raises was the omission itself. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Part of that could be an omission because of his season-ending injury. — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026

These errors of commission are compounded by errors of omission. — Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026

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

Rhymes for omission

• addition
• admission
• ambition
• attrition
• audition
• clinician
• cognition
• coition
• commission
• condition
• contrition
• dentition

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