awl
noun
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Definition of awl
: a pointed tool for marking surfaces or piercing small holes (as in leather or wood)
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Examples of awl in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Hold back plate to wall or ceiling and mark screw points with scratch awl or nail through holes. — The Editors Of House Beautiful, House Beautiful, "How to Install a Smoke Detector," 12 Feb. 2015 Poke 2 holes in top of pumpkin with awl; insert wire curls. — Woman's Day Staff, Woman's Day, "65+ of the Most Creative Halloween Pumpkin-Carving Ideas," 14 Sep. 2017 Some of these stone tools were specialized to either be attached to shafts or be thrown as projectiles, while others resemble scrapers and awls. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Discovered: 300,000-Year-Old Tools and Paints That Point to Early Humanity's Cleverness," 15 Mar. 2018 According to news reports, the police discovered body parts from eight women and one man in Mr. Shiraishi’s apartment, along with a saw, ropes and an awl, apparently used to restrain and cut the bodies. — Motoko Rich, New York Times, "Suspect in Japan Serial-Killer Case Sought Out Suicidal People," 1 Nov. 2017 Another uses brushes, rock hammers and awls to unearth the jawbone and partial skull of a champsasaur, an alligator-like animal with a thin snout. — Mike Sager, Smithsonian, "The Ultimate Summer Camp Activity: Digging for Dinosaurs," 13 Sep. 2017 Guided by evidence from the past, researchers used a stone flake and a bird bone awl to weave rushes into bottles. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "Drinking From Ancient Water Bottles Didn’t Hurt Indigenous People—Making Them Did," 29 June 2017 Now use an awl to mark the hole for the dowel rod (C) in the crank arm (B). — James Schadewald, Popular Mechanics, "Make Your Own Ice-Cream Maker," 4 Aug. 2017 Find all of the deadly devices - tacks, peach, leech, awl, ennui - and win a (nonfatal) bookmark. — Andrea Sachs, chicagotribune.com, "The Edward Gorey House on Cape Cod is the good kind of ghastly," 21 July 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'awl.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for awl
awl
noun
English Language Learners Definition of awl
: a pointed tool that is used for marking surfaces or for making small holes in leather, wood, etc.
See the full definition for awl in the English Language Learners Dictionary
awl
noun
\
Kids Definition of awl
: a pointed tool for making small holes (as in leather or wood)
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