absent without leave

adjective

Definition of absent without leave

: absent without authority from one's place of duty in the armed forces

Recent Examples of absent without leave from the Web

Caesar is stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, but has been absent without leave since April 2.

— Fox News, "AWOL Marine charged in grandmother's murder, police say," 29 Apr. 2018
The report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said 2,537 Afghan trainees have come to the U.S. since 2005, with 6 percent of them going absent without leave.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "Man, 48, charged with sex abuse of young child," 23 Oct. 2017
Gase said Timmons, who went AWOL (absent without leave) on Saturday, definitely won’t practice this week or play Sunday when the Dolphins visit the New York Jets.

— chris perkins, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Gase declines to elaborate on Timmons suspension, leaves door open for return," 20 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'absent without leave.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.