# attendance

/əˈtɛndəns/ (US) · /ɐtˈɛndəns/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/attendance
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. being present

noun · CEFR B1

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

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

- The teacher takes attendance every morning to see which students are in class.
- 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. number of people

noun · CEFR B1

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

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

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

noun · CEFR C1 · Archaic · Formal

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

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

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

## Examples

- The teacher takes attendance every morning.
- The local museum reported a record attendance of over five thousand visitors during the opening weekend of the new exhibit.
- While the lecture series was highly regarded by the faculty, student attendance remained disappointingly low due to the early morning schedule and the lack of mandatory credit.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.