absent without leave
adjective
: absent without authority from one's place of duty in the armed forces
Examples of absent without leave in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
No final decision has been made, officials said, and as of now King’s status is still AWOL, or absent without leave.
—
Gawon Bae, CNN, 15 Aug. 2023
Just last month, Daniel W. Swift, a Navy SEAL who was reported absent without leave, was killed in Ukraine, officials confirmed to CBS News.
—Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2023
Under the Hunter provision, if members are absent without leave — something granted only by a majority vote — they can be punished.
—Dallas News, 11 Jan. 2023
The only judge to be convicted by the Senate was one impeached for being absent without leave.
—Haley Bemiller, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2022
All were judges in the early 1800s, and all were acquitted, meaning the Senate didn’t vote to finalize their removal, except for one judge who was absent without leave.
—Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland, 1 Apr. 2022
Leaving without sanction or quitting is considered AWOL or absent without leave.
—Sylvia Goodman, The Courier-Journal, 6 July 2021
For failing to report for duty, after more than 24 hours he normally would have been listed as absent without leave, or AWOL.
—Sig Christenson, San Antonio Express-News, 4 July 2021
Beagle said the Army may also take disciplinary action of its own, including charges of being absent without leave and theft of a weapon from the base.
—Meg Kinnard, Star Tribune, 6 May 2021
See More
Gawon Bae, CNN, 15 Aug. 2023
Just last month, Daniel W. Swift, a Navy SEAL who was reported absent without leave, was killed in Ukraine, officials confirmed to CBS News.
—Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2023
Under the Hunter provision, if members are absent without leave — something granted only by a majority vote — they can be punished.
—Dallas News, 11 Jan. 2023
The only judge to be convicted by the Senate was one impeached for being absent without leave.
—Haley Bemiller, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2022
All were judges in the early 1800s, and all were acquitted, meaning the Senate didn’t vote to finalize their removal, except for one judge who was absent without leave.
—Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland, 1 Apr. 2022
Leaving without sanction or quitting is considered AWOL or absent without leave.
—Sylvia Goodman, The Courier-Journal, 6 July 2021
For failing to report for duty, after more than 24 hours he normally would have been listed as absent without leave, or AWOL.
—Sig Christenson, San Antonio Express-News, 4 July 2021
Beagle said the Army may also take disciplinary action of its own, including charges of being absent without leave and theft of a weapon from the base.
—Meg Kinnard, Star Tribune, 6 May 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'absent without leave.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1743, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of absent without leave was
in 1743
Dictionary Entries Near absent without leave
Cite this Entry
“Absent without leave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/absent%20without%20leave. Accessed 21 Sep. 2023.
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Legal Definition
absent without leave
ab·sent with·out leave
: absent from one's place of duty in the armed forces without authority
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