truant 1 of 2

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

truant

2 of 2

verb

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
The bill also addresses children and teens who are habitually truant. Jessica Babb, Baltimore Sun, 29 Jan. 2025 But if a cadre of concerned neighborhood volunteers can be cobbled together with parents who have truant kids of their own, perhaps efforts to reach out to families who have given up minding their kids may actually have a chance of working. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 1 Dec. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for truant
Adjective
  • Presence Sometimes what’s absent from a film defines it as much as what’s present.
    Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 4 June 2025
  • China's defense minister was absent from this year's event and sent a lower-level delegation instead.
    Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 June 2025
Verb
  • Cops responded at 3:56 a.m. to a report that a vehicle was idling by the roadside near the intersection of Woodland and Irving streets, its driver apparently unconscious.
    Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 20 May 2025
  • It was led by local people who didn’t give up on their community when its major employer, the Stellantis plant, was idled in early 2023.
    Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 19 May 2025
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
Verb
  • The graduate is not only bummed about the sister’s absence.
    Brian Anthony Hernandez, People.com, 25 May 2025
  • Everyone — from those actually paying to the ones still bumming a log-in — wants to know how Netflix and other streaming services’ crackdowns on password sharing affect them.
    Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 20 May 2025
Verb
  • Some employees had been furloughed to cut down on costs, and Outside had developed a reputation for not paying freelancers in a timely manner.
    Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
  • During a shutdown, hundreds of thousands of federal workers, those deemed nonessential, are furloughed, or sent home without pay.
    George Petras, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • According to PitchBook, venture capital deals dawdled in 2024—fewer funding deals took place, but those that did tended to have higher valuations.
    Zoya Hasan, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Instead, season three of The White Lotus dawdles too long, trying to save too much of the good stuff for the end.
    Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • And if that interest is lazing by the beach, transfers to local beach clubs will be offered as well.
    Laurie Werner, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
  • As the dog lazed in the dirt in Shelby Park, one guardsman ruminated about new missions to alleviate the boredom.
    Jack Healy, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Reyes was a nice spring training story, but the Yankees were fooled by meaningless February and March stats.
    Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 8 June 2025
  • But don't be fooled, as these texts are sophisticated scams designed to steal your personal information or money.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 7 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Truant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/truant. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.

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