: one who shirks duty
especially
: one who stays out of school without permission
1
: shirking responsibility
2
: being, resembling, or characteristic of a truant
truanted; truanting; truants
: to idle away time especially while playing truant
Examples of truant in a Sentence
Noun
an increasing number of truants
Recent Examples on the Web
Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 21 June 2024
Under Maryland law, a truant is a student who has unexcused absences from school for more than eight days in one quarter, 15 days in a semester or 20 days in a school year.
—Karl Bickel, Baltimore Sun, 18 Mar. 2024
Dan Walters, Orange County Register, 12 Sep. 2024
Even more controversially, Harris threatened criminal charges against the parents of chronically truant students, citing a connection between missing class and subsequent lawbreaking.
—Catherine Rampell, Washington Post, 23 July 2024
Byron Pitts, ABC News, 16 Nov. 2023
In Los Angeles, school superintendent Alberto Carvalho has gone door to door; in Alabama, signs stressing the importance of attendance are displayed on front lawns; in Philadelphia, local programs have been established that send out text messages to potentially truant youths' parents.
—Lauren Lantry, ABC News, 16 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for truant 
Noun
So, if Trump tries to cancel the debate or just doesn’t show up, the Biden team could prepare one of his sparring partners to be onstage, unofficially representing the truant.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 21 June 2024
Under Maryland law, a truant is a student who has unexcused absences from school for more than eight days in one quarter, 15 days in a semester or 20 days in a school year.
—Karl Bickel, Baltimore Sun, 18 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The analysis estimated that switching to enrollment would cost about $3.4 billion a year, since truant students would still qualify their schools for aid.
—Dan Walters, Orange County Register, 12 Sep. 2024
Even more controversially, Harris threatened criminal charges against the parents of chronically truant students, citing a connection between missing class and subsequent lawbreaking.
—Catherine Rampell, Washington Post, 23 July 2024
Verb
The program helps truant students get back on track.
—Byron Pitts, ABC News, 16 Nov. 2023
In Los Angeles, school superintendent Alberto Carvalho has gone door to door; in Alabama, signs stressing the importance of attendance are displayed on front lawns; in Philadelphia, local programs have been established that send out text messages to potentially truant youths' parents.
—Lauren Lantry, ABC News, 16 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for truant
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'truant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near truant
Cite this Entry
“Truant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/truant. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.
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