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.

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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
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
Verb
In Chicago, nearly half of students were considered chronically truant, according to state data. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2025 Warren has been able to reduce its percentage of students labeled as habitually truant from 70% — the worst in Marion County — in the 2020-21 school year to 22% last year, according to state data. Caroline Beck, IndyStar, 2 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for truant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for truant
Adjective
  • No victims speak in court While the court heard several pleas from Combs’ supporters Friday, the victims who testified at trial were noticeably absent from the hearing.
    Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Sultana has tepidly supported this bid but been conspicuously absent from Your Party’s recent social-media posts.
    Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • While the site is idled, Olsen said, workers receive their normal paychecks, and some have undergone training to learn new skills.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2025
  • The filtration system must be robust enough to perform under stop-and-go driving, prolonged idling and urban pollution while also remaining effective between filter replacements.
    Anan Bishara, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 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
  • Democrats’ most visible strategy appears to be trying to bum a few bucks from the grassroots—when the grassroots’ greatest power is in protest, boycott, and other unified mobilization efforts.
    Sarah Stankorb, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Alabama gave Georgia its first home loss in six years with a 24-21 constriction; Oregon rode a pair of Moores (Dante and Dakorien) to bum out Happy Valley in extra time.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • However, the federal shutdown forced the bureau to furlough employees as well as pause data collection and dissemination.
    Rachel Barber, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
  • About 750,000 employees will be sent to furlough each day, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
    Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Is there some reason to postpone or dawdle on aiming for better for Milwaukee kids?
    Alan J. Borsuk, jsonline.com, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Fava snuffled and dawdled and took her own sweet time up the sidewalk.
    Dan Kois, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Instead of setting up a spot on the sand, beachgoers typically pitch their chairs in the shallow clear blue water and laze the day away.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2025
  • Conrad is literally ready to skip his whole Brussels conference in order to laze around in bed with Belly for the next several days, but Belly has cold feet.
    Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Prosecutors told the court the scheme had raised at least $650 million and called it a classic Ponzi structure that fooled even Horwitz’s closest friends.
    Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Don’t let their elegant fancy-restaurant flavors fool you.
    Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 30 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Truant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/truant. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

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