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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Your pumpkins are styled on the front porch, colorful mums are blooming by the door, and Halloween decorations have transformed the house with the perfect fall theme—but there’s just one thing missing.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
19 Oct. 2025 -
When a rigid, devoutly Christian cop (Edward Woodward) arrives in search of a missing girl, he's horrified by the island's embrace of pagan rituals.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Al-Khatib’s home an d almost everything his family owned is long gone.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
8 Oct. 2025
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By reprogramming ordinary cells—like skin fibroblasts—into stem cells, scientists hope to create eggs and sperm from individuals long gone.—
Tony Bradley,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In Chicago, nearly half of students were considered chronically truant, according to state data.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Sep. 2025
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Warren has been able to reduce its percentage of students labeled as habitually truant from 70% — the worst in Marion County — in the 2020-21 school year to 22% last year, according to state data.—
Caroline Beck,
IndyStar,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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The Department of Public Instruction routinely gathers and publishes data on other potential signs of student harm, such as how often students are chronically absent, experience homelessness or feel unsafe at school — but not the frequency of educator misconduct.—
Danielle DuClos,
jsonline.com,
17 Oct. 2025
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However, The Rock has been absent from WWE for quite some time since that surprising moment.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Fubo offers a free upgrade to ESPN, which carries all the out-of-market NHL games all season long.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
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And then Michael McBride was just a monster on the drums and probably more of an out-of-control heavy hitter.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“AWOL.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/AWOL. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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