English Reference
noun

attendance

n.
US /əˈtɛndəns/ UK /ɐtˈɛndəns/ at·ten·dance UK spelling attendance's, attendance's

  1. 01 B1 Intermediate

    the act of being at a place, especially a school, office, or meeting.

    the state of being present at a specific location or event; often used in institutional contexts like education or employment.

    Simple

    The teacher takes attendance every morning to see which students are in class.

    In context

    Regular attendance is mandatory for all students, as the curriculum relies heavily on interactive seminars and group discussions.

    Usage

    Often used in the phrase 'in attendance'.

  2. 02 B1 Intermediate

    the total number of people who go to an event like a concert or a game.

    the total count of individuals present at a public gathering or performance.

    Simple

    Attendance at the football match was lower than usual because of the rain.

    In context

    The festival organisers were delighted to report a record attendance, with over fifty thousand visitors entering the gates over the weekend.

    Usage

    Usually uncountable when referring to the general concept, but can be countable when comparing specific figures.

  3. 03 C1 Advanced ArchaicFormal

    the act of looking after someone or paying close attention to something.

    the act of waiting upon or providing service to someone; also refers to careful regard or attention.

    Simple

    The king had many servants in attendance to help him with his daily needs.

    In context

    She was tired of having to dance attendance on her demanding boss, who expected her to be available at all hours of the night.

    Usage

    Commonly found in the phrase 'dance attendance on someone'.

    serviceministrationcare

A litany of Hollywood A-list stars, such as actors Hugh Grant and Jason Sudeikis, singer Benson Boone and model Gigi Hadid were in attendance.

BBC News· 13 Aug 2026

At one point, the agent told someone in attendance that he “works in construction and could build items that might assist other groups with more ‘direct-action’ protests”.

The Guardian· 13 Aug 2026

From Middle English attendance, from Old French atendance, from atendre (“to attend, listen”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Old French atendance
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Common
Updated