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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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
  • Advertisement The day after the raid, the Wilder School District reported absent rates soared, with 20% of students absent, according to The Idaho Statesman.
    — Philip Wang, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
  • After months absent from the campaign trail, Democrat Xavier Becerra has increased public appearances and began airing television ads as mail ballots reach California voters.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of absent
Verb
  • Companies across the industry have been idling facilities, with Suntory pausing production at one of Jim Beam’s three Kentucky distilleries to upgrade the site while demand is low.
    — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Others idled at the edge of the firelight while the red lights of a surveillance blimp blinked over the mountains to the east.
    — Ryan Devereaux, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 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
  • The joy Lisa has with her RHUGT cast compared with the dread her RHOSLC cast seems to bring her really bums me out — especially because of how much of this trip is championing the sisterhood of Housewives.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
  • My conversation partner returned, somehow unable to bum even a single cigarette from anyone at this party.
    — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 July 2026
Definition of bum
Verb
  • Instead, the board passed an unbalanced budget that could fire thousands of teachers, open the door to furlough days and drive up our debt service.
    — Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of furlough
Verb
  • Gvardiol looked jittery early on, rallied a little to break up some dangerous Porto attacks, but then started giving the ball away again and was booked for a needless pull after being caught dawdling in possession.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Don’t dawdle, though, as the air temperature in the room or your warm hand on the glass can transfer their thermal energy to melt the rest of the ice and then begin to raise the temperature of your drink!
    — Matthew Koss, The Conversation, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of dawdle
Verb
  • The colony also has a population of New Zealand fur seals that laze around the rocks frequented by flocks of seabirds.
    — Todd Symons, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of laze
Verb
  • As temperatures drop in the fall, aphids, like other garden pests, are less active, but don’t be fooled by appearances.
    — Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Don’t be fooled by the big numbers that these guys throw around in their ballots.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of fool

Browse Nearby Words

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truant
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Cite this Entry

“Truant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/truant. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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