omission

noun

omis·​sion ō-ˈmi-shən 

ə-

1

a

: something neglected or left undone

There are a few omissions in the list.

b

: apathy toward or neglect of duty

The police officer was reprimanded for the omission of his duty to inform the suspect of his rights.

2

: the act of omitting : the state of being omitted

Her omission from the team was surprising.

Synonyms

• deletion
• elision

Examples of omission in a Sentence

There are a few omissions in the list.

the disk contains a selection of deleted scenes, and a couple of the omissions greatly add to the intelligibility of the movie's plot

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s a huge omission because consensus decision-making has paralyzed the talks, said Erin Simon, an expert on plastics and packaging at the World Wildlife Fund. —Jennifer McDermott, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2024

Was this omission just a classic example of a movie needing to abridge itself? —Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Nov. 2024

One other notable omission this year is the list of specific warehouses and floor numbers where the barrels aged each whiskey in the lineup. —Chris Perugini, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

The omission of that one word makes a big difference. —The Editors, National Review, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English omissioun, from Anglo-French omission, from Late Latin omission-, omissio, from Latin omittere

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

omission

noun

omis·​sion ō-ˈmish-ən 

ə-

1

: something omitted

2

: the act of omitting : the state of being omitted

Legal Definition

omission

noun

omis·​sion ō-ˈmi-shən 

1

: something neglected, left out, or left undone

2

: the act, fact, or state of leaving something out or failing to do something especially that is required by duty, procedure, or law

liable for a criminal act or omission