overseas: Her only relatives live overseas.
away: Sophia was away on a business trip.
ab|ro|gate /æ brəge I t/ (abrogates , abrogating , abrogated ) VERB If someone in a position of authority abrogates something such as a law, agreement, or practice, they put an end to it. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] The next prime minister could abrogate the treaty.
ab|rupt /əbrʌ pt/
1 ADJ An abrupt change or action is very sudden, often in a way which is unpleasant. □ Rosie's idyllic world came to an abrupt end when her parents' marriage broke up. ● ab|rupt|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ He stopped abruptly and looked my way.
2 ADJ Someone who is abrupt speaks in a rather rude, unfriendly way. □ He was abrupt to the point of rudeness. □ Cross was a little taken aback by her abrupt manner. ● ab|rupt|ly ADV □ 'Good night, then,' she said abruptly.
abs /æ bz/ N‑PLURAL Abs are the same as abdominals . [INFORMAL ] □ Throughout the exercise, focus on keeping your abs tight.
ab|scess /æ bses/ (abscesses ) N‑COUNT An abscess is a painful swelling containing pus.
ab|scond /æbskɒ nd/ (absconds , absconding , absconded )
1 VERB If someone absconds from somewhere such as a prison, they escape from it or leave it without permission. [FORMAL ] □ [V ] He was ordered to appear the following day, but absconded. □ [V + from ] A dozen inmates have absconded from Forest Jail in the past year.
2 VERB If someone absconds with something, they leave and take it with them, although it does not belong to them. [FORMAL ] □ [V + with ] Unfortunately, his partners were crooks and absconded with the funds.
ab|seil /æ bse I l/ (abseils , abseiling , abseiled ) VERB To abseil down a cliff or rock face means to slide down it in a controlled way using a rope, with your feet against the cliff or rock. [BRIT ] in AM, use rappel
ab|sence ◆◇◇ /æ bs ə ns/ (absences )
1 N‑VAR Someone's absence from a place is the fact that they are not there. □ …a bundle of letters which had arrived for me in my absence. □ Eleanor would later blame her mother-in-law for her husband's frequent absences.
2 N‑SING The absence of something from a place is the fact that it is not there or does not exist. □ [+ of ] The presence or absence of clouds can have an important impact on heat transfer. □ [+ of ] In the absence of a will the courts decide who the guardian is.
3 → see also leave of absence
4 conspicuous by one's absence → see conspicuous SYNONYMS absence NOUN
1
time off: She has hardly had any time off for the last four years.
leave: Why don't you take a few days' leave?
2
lack: Despite his lack of experience, he got the job.
deficiency: They did blood tests on him for signs of vitamin deficiency.
shortage: Vietnam is suffering from a food shortage.
want: The men were daily becoming weaker from want of rest.
ab|sent /æ bs ə nt/
1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If someone or something is absent from a place or situation where they should be or where they usually are, they are not there. □ [+ from ] He has been absent from his desk for two weeks. □ Evans was absent without leave from his Hong Kong-based regiment.
2 ADJ If someone appears absent , they are not paying attention because they are thinking about something else. □ 'Nothing,' Rosie said in an absent way. ● ab|sent|ly /æ bs ə ntli/ ADV □ He nodded absently.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] An absent parent does not live with his or her children. □ …absent fathers who fail to pay towards the costs of looking after their children.
4 PREP If you say that absent one thing, another thing will happen, you mean that if the first thing does not happen, the second thing will happen. [AM , FORMAL ] □ Absent a solution, people like Sue Godfrey will just keep on fighting.
ab|sen|tee /æ bs ə ntiː / (absentees )
1 N‑COUNT An absentee is a person who is expected to be in a particular place but who is not there.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Absentee is used to describe someone who is not there to do a particular job in person. □ Absentee fathers will be forced to pay child maintenance.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] In elections in the United States, if you vote by absentee ballot or if you are an absentee voter, you vote in advance because you will be away. [AM ]
ab|sen|tee|ism /æ bs ə ntiː I zəm/ N‑UNCOUNT Absenteeism is the fact or habit of frequently being away from work or school, usually without a good reason.
ab|sen|tia /æbse ntiə, [AM ] -se nʃə/ PHRASE If something is done to you in absentia , it is done to you when you are not present. [FORMAL ] □ He was tried in absentia and sentenced to seven years in prison.
a bsent-mi nded ADJ Someone who is absent-minded forgets things or does not pay attention to what they are doing, often because they are thinking about something else. □ In his later life he became even more absent-minded. ● absent-mindedly ADV [ADV with v] □ Elizabeth absent-mindedly picked a thread from his lapel.