Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

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

4conspicuous 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.