absence

noun

1. (uncountable, usually)A state of being away or withdrawn from a place or from companionship

   “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

2. (uncountable, usually)The period of someone being away.

   “During Jane's absence, Mark will be taking charge.”

   “Not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence.”

3. (uncountable, usually)Failure to be present where one is expected, wanted, or needed; nonattendance; deficiency.

   “Harry Kane was an absence in that first half. He touched the ball 11 times despite Spurs taking 62% of possession.”

   “Then, in January, a creeping tsunami of train cancellations, triggered by major staff absences as a result of the aggressive transmissibility of Omicron, heaped further misery on rail users.”

4. (uncountable, usually)Lack; deficiency; non-existence.

   “He had an absence of enthusiasm.”

   “in the absence of higher and more authoritative sanctions the ordinances of foreign states, the opinions of eminent statesmen, and the writings of distinguished jurists, are regarded as of great consideration on questions not settled by conventional law”

   “The narrow streets that twist and turn through the compact heart of Dent are surfaced with cobbles which, in the absence of pavements, spread right across from doorstep to doorstep.”

5. (uncountable, usually)Inattention to things present; abstraction (of mind).

   “absence of mind”

   “Reflecting on the little absences and distractions of mankind.”

   “To conquer that abstraction which is called absence.”

6. (uncountable, usually)Temporary loss or disruption of consciousness, with sudden onset and recovery, and common in epilepsy.
7. (uncountable, usually)Lack of contact between blades.