absent without leave

British

adjective

military the full form of AWOL

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

absent without leave Idioms

Away without permission or explanation, as in Her daughter went to the mall but got in trouble for being absent without leave. The term and its acronym, AWOL, originated in the American military during World War I for soldiers absent from duty without permission (leave). It later was transferred to civilian situations, as in John didn't just cut his Tuesday classes; he went AWOL.

Example Sentences

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absent without leave

He has been absent without leave since June 14, apparently in a “D.C. area hospital” receiving “excellent care.”

From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026

Despite the national veneration of units like Vizirenko’s, Ukraine has struggled to recruit and retain fighters, with about 200,000 listed as absent without leave, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov told the country’s parliament in January.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

It was unclear Monday if the soldier is considered absent without leave, or AWOL.

From Seattle Times ● May 6, 2024

The Pentagon has so far described King’s formal status as “AWOL,” or absent without leave.

From Reuters ● Aug. 4, 2023

But, when I turned about again to descend, I found the ladder, as well as my directress, absent without leave.

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 5 by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023