truant 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of truantnext
as in absent
not present at a mandatory time and place Her son was suspended after being truant from school a number of times.

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truant

2 of 2

verb

as in to lazy

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of truant
Adjective
In a late January social media post, district officials said any student participating in a walkout would be considered truant and given an unexcused absence. — Emily Donaldson, San Antonio Express-News, 16 Feb. 2026 In Kentucky, a 2024 law requiring court referrals for truant students led to a surge of families pulling their children out of public schools to homeschool, rather than face legal consequences. — Jon England, Mercury News, 2 Dec. 2025 The Moorhead Resource team steps in when students are at risk of being expelled or becoming truant to create a plan to address any underlying issues. — Caroline Beck, IndyStar, 2 July 2025 School personnel also would be prohibited from referring truant students to police to be ticketed as punishment. — Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, 29 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for truant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for truant
  1. absent
  2. idle
  3. malinger
  4. bum
  5. furlough
  6. dawdle
  7. laze
  8. fool
Adjective
  • The World Cup has been an amazing spectacle and, mercifully, the sport’s notorious hooligans have been largely absent.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026
  • His death leaves Republicans with a smaller Senate majority, which could hamper the party’s voting strength with Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell already absent from the chamber due to hospitalization.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 13 July 2026
Definition of absent
Verb
  • Video of the confrontation appears to show Nelson idling in a snowy strip mall parking lot in his gray Dodge Ram when another driver in an even larger pickup pulls in beside him.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • One aspect that contributed to the gridlock was a number of Waymo's self-driving robotaxis idling on the road as traffic officials tried to remedy the halt in traffic.
    — Noe Padilla, USA Today, 10 July 2026
Definition of idle
Verb
  • The entire day felt dehumanizing, as if her nearly eight years with the company, her medical problems and her physical pain had been reduced to nothing more than malingering and scattered incidents of tardiness.
    — Greg Jaffe, Anchorage Daily News, 18 June 2023
  • Goldstein, who did not return a message seeking comment, practices in Chicago and has lectured on the topic of malingering, according to a resume posted online.
    — Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2023
Definition of malinger
Verb
  • Great, for once the Leafs won’t bum me out!
    — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • Yet with these new songs out in the world, the three musicians don’t seem particularly bummed not to have their old ones in ready circulation.
    — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
Definition of bum
Verb
  • The City of Dallas will furlough city employees for three days to address a $30 million budget shortfall.
    — Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 30 June 2026
  • Harvey furloughed about 40% of city workers in October after declaring a state of financial distress, including nearly half of the Fire Department.
    — Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
Definition of furlough
Verb
  • But, lucky for anyone who dawdled, many of the deals are still active.
    — Adam Campbell-Schmitt, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 June 2026
  • No time to dawdle while finding your credit score!
    — Clio Chang, Curbed, 17 June 2026
Definition of dawdle
Verb
  • The pigs that would soon enough become lunch lazed in the compost-pile mud in front of a five-star-hotel-worthy view of the Cretan Sea.
    — Shannon McMahon, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 July 2026
  • The sense of just how much there is to do in this part of the world—the length of the scale between lazing and becoming ultra-active—is palpable.
    — Lauren Keith, Robb Report, 30 May 2026
Definition of laze
Verb
  • You may be fooled into joining a brokerage with high fees, poor investment options or other red flags.
    — Dan Avery, CNBC, 17 July 2026
  • Jairzinho, Brazil vs Italy, 1970 Jairzinho steals in to give Brazil a two-goal lead with 20 minutes left, controlling the ball with his thigh and then failing to connect with his finish, which is enough to fool goalkeeper Enrico Albertosi.
    — Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026
Definition of fool

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Cite this Entry

“Truant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/truant. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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