AWOL

1 of 2

adjective or adverb

sometimes not capitalized
: absent without leave
broadly : absent often without notice or permission
the place looked as if its caretaker had been AWOL for some time Daniel Ford

AWOL

2 of 2

noun

sometimes not capitalized
: a person who is AWOL

Examples of AWOL in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
When continuity and plot logic are AWOL in your movie, who ya gonna call? David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024 Grab a bottle of this, as both the mango and the orange have gone AWOL. Jolene Thym, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2024 Show producers Debmar-Mercury called in a string of guest hosts to fill in when Williams went AWOL during season 13. Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Feb. 2024 The film also stars Blunt as Gosling’s ex-girlfriend Jody and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the AWOL star. Michaela Zee, Variety, 11 Feb. 2024 The singer released her debut EP AWOL earlier this year with help from mentor and producer Dave Stewart of Eurythmics. Ew Staff, EW.com, 16 Oct. 2023 Weather officials had been warning Californians about the wrath of El Niño for months — even as some residents had begun to think the typically soaking climate pattern had gone AWOL. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2024 The novel-in-progress would comprise three stories — a soldier who went AWOL during the Gulf War; another who fled during the Iraq War; and a veteran involved in the Jan. 6 insurrection. Boris Kachka, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2023 Blunt stars as Gosling’s director and ex-girlfriend Jody Moreno, while Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays AWOL star Tom Ryder. Michaela Zee, Variety, 15 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'AWOL.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective or adverb

absent without leave

First Known Use

Adjective Or Adverb

1891, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1915, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of AWOL was in 1891

Dictionary Entries Near AWOL

Cite this Entry

“AWOL.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/AWOL. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

AWOL

noun
ˈā-ˌwȯl,
ˌā-ˌdəb-əl-yu̇-ˌō-ˈel
: a person who is absent without permission
AWOL adverb or adjective
Etymology

Noun

absent without leave

Legal Definition

AWOL

abbreviation
ˈā-ˌwȯl, ˈā-ˌdə-bəl-ˌyü-ˌō-ˈel
absent without leave
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