Definition of truant
: one who shirks duty;
especially
: one who stays out of school without permission
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Examples of truant in a Sentence
an increasing number of truants
Recent Examples of truant from the Web
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Ten were booked as runaways five as truants and one turned out to be an AWOL Marine from Camp Pendleton.
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In Park Hill School District about 150 students who observed the walkout were marked truant.
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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.
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About 150 Park Hill High School students participated, according to junior Ethan Simon, who told The Star that each participant was marked truant.
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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.
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Hurt was looking for truants and came upon Montgomery, a 17-year-old skipping school.
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Getzlaf was joined by Rickard Rakell as five Flames poured out of the bench to replace the truants.
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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.
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 yearOther Education Terms
Definition of truant
1
: shirking responsibility
2
: being, resembling, or characteristic of a truant
Recent Examples of truant from the Web
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The police did not initially investigate it as a crime because the teenager was often truant.
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She was sent to a truant school, but eventually stopped going altogether.
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Before the law changed Sept. 1 2015, truant students could be issued a Class C misdemeanor for failing to attend school.
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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.
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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.
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In the story, Rich and some friends had played truant one afternoon.
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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.
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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.
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.
First Known Use of truant
1561
Definition of truant
First Known Use of truant
1580
TRUANT Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of truant for English Language Learners
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: a student who misses school without permission
TRUANT Defined for Kids
Definition of truant for Students
1
: a student who stays out of school without permission
2
: a person who neglects his or her duty
Learn More about truant
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See words that rhyme with truant Spanish Central: Translation of truant Nglish: Translation of truant for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of truant for Arabic speakers
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