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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Who reported Athena Strand missing?—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026 -
But the update was about another missing person, 82-year-old Nancy Radakovich, who had been reported missing earlier during the day.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Room by room, the author takes us through the house, now long gone.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
-
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
-
Cardoso and Williams were both absent from the first day of training camp while completing duties for their overseas teams.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
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This entire conversation might have concluded two years ago if the voters whose support the Royals required hadn’t viewed the details as a combination of absent, confusing or shifting.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The governor has rightly made reining in this out-of-control enterprise a top priority in the state budget talks, taking on one of Albany’s most entrenched special interests — the trial lawyers — with the goal of lowering insurance costs for New Yorkers.—
Ike Brannon,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
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Such was the case at Lincoln-Way West on Friday when Balta came up with two on and two out and Lincoln-Way East trailing by one run.—
Tony Baranek,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“AWOL.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/AWOL. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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