truant

noun tru·ant \ ˈtrü-ənt \

|Updated on: 28 May 2018

Examples: truant in a Sentence

Definition of truant

: one who shirks duty; especially : one who stays out of school without permission

See truant defined for English-language learners

See truant defined for kids

Examples of truant in a Sentence

an increasing number of truants

Recent Examples of truant from the Web

Ten were booked as runaways five as truants and one turned out to be an AWOL Marine from Camp Pendleton.

— johnny miller — jack viets, San Francisco Chronicle, "Eat-and-greet on Mayor Alioto’s agenda, 1968," 9 May 2018
In Park Hill School District about 150 students who observed the walkout were marked truant.

— mará rose williams, kansascity, "Independence suspended student who didn't follow rules during gun protest walkout | The Kansas City Star," 20 Mar. 2018
Chon and comedian Daniel So play down-and-out Korean-Americans trying to keep their late dad’s shoe store alive; a delightful Simone Baker is the 11-year-old school truant who helps out in the shop, to the chagrin of her brother (Curtiss Cook.

— ty burr, BostonGlobe.com, "11 movies to stream when the weather is terrible," 15 Mar. 2018
About 150 Park Hill High School students participated, according to junior Ethan Simon, who told The Star that each participant was marked truant.

— max londberg, kansascity, "Students at this KC school were disciplined for honoring Parkland victims with walkout | The Kansas City Star," 14 Mar. 2018
Being tagged a chronic truant – after missing 10 percent or more of the school year – could mean up to a $2,000 fine and jail time for parents or the student.

— diana lambert, sacbee, "Should parents be able to take their kids out of school without getting a truancy letter?," 29 Oct. 2017
Hurt was looking for truants and came upon Montgomery, a 17-year-old skipping school.

— adam geller, The Seattle Times, "Supreme Court rulings reshape penalties for young offenders," 30 July 2017
Getzlaf was joined by Rickard Rakell as five Flames poured out of the bench to replace the truants.

— mark whicker, Orange County Register, "Whicker: Flames’ absence is a present for Ducks," 14 Apr. 2017
When the truant offered a letter from a relative of a government minister pleading for leniency, Mr. Mishra grabbed it and, with a frown, tore it in half and dropped it to the floor.

— geeta anand, New York Times, "Today’s Headlines: Asia Edition," 19 Feb. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'truant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of truant

Middle English, vagabond, idler, from Anglo-French, of Celt origin; akin to Old Irish trógán wretch, trúag wretched

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Education Terms

baccalaureate, colloquium, corequisite, dissertation, monograph, pedant, practicum, survey course, thesis

truant

adjective

Definition of truant

1 : shirking responsibility

2 : being, resembling, or characteristic of a truant

Recent Examples of truant from the Web

She was sent to a truant school, but eventually stopped going altogether.

— yosha gunasekera, Marie Claire, "How One Woman's Sexual Abuse Resulted in Years Behind Bars," 11 May 2018
Before the law changed Sept. 1 2015, truant students could be issued a Class C misdemeanor for failing to attend school.

— sandra baker, star-telegram, "Law has little impact on Fort Worth students skipping school, but that's a good thing | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 8 May 2018
San Diego County participation in Friday’s National School Walkout to commemorate the Columbine High School shooting was uneven, which is understandable given some districts said those who left campus would be counted as absent, possibly truant.

— michael smolens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "No question they're serious, but will the kids vote?," 25 Apr. 2018
According to student tweets, the event became a walk-in so students could still participate during their lunch or study hall periods and not be counted as absent or truant, which would affect their ability to attend prom later in the evening.

— rafael guerrero, Elgin Courier-News, "Participation declines in latest student-led walkouts at U46 schools," 21 Apr. 2018
In the story, Rich and some friends had played truant one afternoon.

— junot díaz, The New Yorker, "A Flawless Silence," 17 Apr. 2018
The high absenteeism at Ballou matches the report’s overall findings: Neighborhood schools with a large population of students from low-income families are most likely to have truant graduates.

— perry stein, Washington Post, "It’s not just Ballou: Schools across D.C. are graduating students who were chronically absent," 19 Jan. 2018
That could be a bigger problem if a student already has a lot of those and the extra one results in him or her being considered truant.

— doug criss, cnn design: joyce tseng, CNN, "If you're planning to take part in the national school walkout, read this," 12 Mar. 2018
State guidance says that if a district decides a private school isn’t delivering substantially equivalent education, such funding is withdrawn and public school authorities can ask Family Court to deem its students to be truant.

— leslie brody, WSJ, "New York State Revising Private Schools Guidelines," 17 Dec. 2017