as in missing
not present at a mandatory time and place
The soldier was AWOL for more than a week. "Where's Ben?" "I'm not sure—he's been AWOL all day."
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for AWOL
Adjective
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Busloads of volunteers, horses and ground-penetrating radar were called in for a search after Smart went missing.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026 -
The missing middle ordinance has not yet driven development up, Soos said.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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Room by room, the author takes us through the house, now long gone.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
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Retaining Hall, 39, keeps one familiar face from Dart’s rookie year on the offensive side of the building for his second NFL season, with Brian Daboll, Mike Kafka and Shea Tierney all long gone.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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A lot of kids’ parents don’t have time to sign out their kids, so they would be counted absent instead of truant, Hampton said.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
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In a late January social media post, district officials said any student participating in a walkout would be considered truant and given an unexcused absence.—
Emily Donaldson,
San Antonio Express-News,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The most concerning scenario is a slow-moving catastrophe that never fully enters public consciousness due to largely absent data.—
Jesse Pines,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
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Ayton, a key part of the Lakers’ first-round series win, has been largely absent in the Western Conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Adjective
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Breakker needed to out-wrestle and out-maneuver Rollins throughout the match to gain a split-second advantage over him.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
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Rising housing costs and the out-migration of families have reduced enrollment, while funding tied to attendance further compounds the strain on schools.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“AWOL.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/AWOL. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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