ABSENCE

[noun] - the state or act of, or a period of, not being somewhere or of not existingA new manager was appointed during/in your absence (= while you were away). [U]She has had repeated absences (= acts of being away) from work this year. [C]He drew attention to the absence (= lack) of (any) concrete evidence against the defendant. [U]In the absence of any more suitable candidates (= because there were not any more suitable ones), we decided to offer the job to Mr Conway. [U](saying) 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder' means that we value people more when they are not with us.