1 [C,U] a time when sb is away from somewhere; the fact of being away from somewhere 某人不在的时候；缺席；不在场: Frequent absences due to illness meant he was behind with his work. 他因病经常缺席，以致未能及时完成工作。I have to make all the decisions in my boss's absence. 老板不在的时候所有决定都得由我来做。

2 [U] the fact of sth/sb not being there; lack 没有；欠缺: In the absence of a doctor, try to help the injured person yourself. 在没有医生的情况下，你要自己设法帮助伤者。 [OPP] presence 反义词为 presence