omission
failure to include or do
The act of not including or not doing something that you should include or do.
the omission of [something] (from [something])
- Her omission of several key facts made the report misleading.
- The article contains a major omission: it never mentions the cost of the project.
- By simple omission, they failed to invite several important partners.
- The judge said the company’s omission to warn customers was unacceptable.
- Any omission of relevant information must be explained in writing.
- There was an important omission in his speech.
- The omission of her name from the list made her upset.
- Please check the form for any omission of dates or signatures.
- Because of an omission in the email, he missed the meeting.
- The teacher noticed an omission of two questions on the test paper.
a thing that was left out
Something that is missing because it was not included, but it should be there.
an omission from [a list/report/book]
- One glaring omission from the plan is any mention of funding.
- The most surprising omission in the book is the author’s own hometown.
- There are several omissions in the data that we need to fill in.
- The index has many omissions, which makes the book hard to use.
- Her biography contains serious omissions about her early life.
- An important omission is the date of the event.
- I found two omissions in the report: no prices and no dates.
- The only omission on the list is your phone number.
- There is a big omission in the story: we never learn why he left.
- Please tell me if you see any omissions in the form.
failure to act when required
Not doing something that you are expected or required to do, especially in law or in moral questions.
an omission to [do something]
- The doctor’s omission to follow up with the patient may amount to negligence.
- In ethics, a sin of omission is failing to do something you know you should do.
- The court considered whether his omission to report the danger was a criminal act.
- Management’s omission to address the complaints led to a formal investigation.
- They argued that the government’s omission in enforcing the law caused the disaster.
- In some religions, a sin of omission is very serious.
- The lawyer said the company’s omission to warn people was wrong.
- His omission to help the injured man was criticized.
- An error of omission can be as bad as doing the wrong thing.
- Sometimes, an omission to act can break the law.
by omission
1through leaving something out
In a way that hides or changes the truth because something important is left out.
- The article did not lie directly, but it misled readers by omission.
- He apologized for having misrepresented the results, whether by omission or by exaggeration.
- The company was accused of dishonesty by omission for not mentioning the risks.
crime of omission
1criminal failure to act
A crime that happens because a person does not do something that the law says they must do.
- Failing to report certain types of abuse can be a crime of omission.
- The lawyer argued that his client’s inaction did not amount to a crime of omission.
- Some legal systems recognize crimes of omission as well as crimes of action.
error of omission
1mistake from failing to do
A mistake that happens because you did not include something or did not do something that you should have done.
- In accounting, an error of omission occurs when a transaction is completely left out of the records.
- The committee report noted several errors of omission in the initial draft.
- He insisted that the missing data was an error of omission, not an attempt to cheat.
lie by omission
1mislead by leaving out facts
To make someone believe something that is not true because you do not say important information.
- You didn’t tell me about your other job; that’s a lie by omission.
- The documentary was criticized for lying by omission about the company’s past problems.
- He claimed he never lied, but his lie by omission hurt her trust.
sin of omission
1moral fault of not acting
A bad or wrong thing in a moral or religious sense that happens because you did not do something you should do.
- Failing to help when you can is often called a sin of omission.
- The sermon focused on sins of omission, like ignoring people in need.
- He felt guilty for his sin of omission in not defending his friend.