What does omitting mean?
To omit something is to leave it out or fail to include it. The omitted material may be a word, name, fact, detail, or step, and the omission may be intentional or accidental. Writers often omit a qualifying phrase, a source, or an item from a list, while speakers may omit an apology or explanation. In a negative construction, the verb can describe failing to perform an expected action: “They omitted to reply.” The related noun omission identifies the missing item or the act of leaving it out. Although ordinary in modern English, omit has a somewhat formal tone and is especially common in editorial, legal, academic, and business contexts. It is useful because it distinguishes absence caused by deliberate exclusion or oversight from a direct statement that something is not present, and it can subtly suggest incompleteness or deliberate concealment.
verbTo leave out or exclude something, either deliberately or through an oversight. It can also mean to fail to do or mention something that ought to be done.
- To leave out or exclude a person, item, or detail from a larger whole.
- To fail to do, say, or mention something that ought to be done.
"The summary omits several important qualifications from the original report."
"The editor omitted the passage because it lacked reliable supporting evidence."
"Never omit a deadline when writing to a prospective employer."
Omit literally means to “send away”: its Latin ancestor combined a prefix meaning “away” with a verb meaning “to send.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does omitting come from?
The word comes from Latin omittere, formed from ob-, meaning “away” or “against,” and mittere, meaning “to send.” The literal idea was to send something away or remove it. English adopted the word in the early 15th century, initially in the sense of leaving out or excluding something. Its relatives include commit, submit, transmit, and emission, all reflecting forms of the Latin verb mittere.
Related word forms
How omitting is actually used
The word is neutral in register and common in formal and informal contexts. It can describe either a deliberate exclusion or an accidental failure to include something, although deliberate omissions may carry connotations of concealment or incompleteness.
Easily confused with omitting
Omission is the noun naming the act or result of leaving something out, whereas the headword names the action itself.
Emission means the discharge or release of something such as light, gas, or radiation and is the opposite of omission in the sense of leaving something out.