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• awl
  awl

  noun

  a pointed instrument for piercing small holes in leather, wood, etc.
• A.W.L.
  A.W.L.

  abbreviation

  absent with leave.

awl

¹ American  

[awl] / ɔl /

noun

• awls
  plural

1. a pointed instrument for piercing small holes in leather, wood, etc.

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A.W.L. ² American  

Or a.w.l.

abbreviation

1. absent with leave.

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awl British  

/ ɔːl /

noun

1. a pointed hand tool with a fluted blade used for piercing wood, leather, etc See also bradawl

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• awls
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of awl

before 900; Middle English al, eal, aul, Old English al, eal, æl; cognate with Old Norse alr; akin to Middle English ēl, Old English ǣl, Old High German āla ( German Ahle ), Sanskrit ā́rā

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Explanation

An awl is a tool with a long, sharp end for making holes in leather or wood. If your uncle is a shoemaker, an awl might be the perfect gift for him. It looks kind of like an ice pick, but an awl is a tool used by shoemakers, carpenters and other craftsmen who need to punch small holes through leather or wood. If your shoes were made by hand, chances are all those little holes where the laces go through were made with the use of an awl.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

awl A.W.L. awls

She also had silver earplugs threaded through with silver hoops, an awl covered in silver—and a companion: a middle-age man laid to rest in the same jar with a fraction of her wealth.

From Science Magazine ● Oct. 4, 2023

"Wagner is not a piece of slippery soap which the bureaucrats have got used to shoving all over the place; Wagner is an awl, a stiletto that you cannot hide," Prigozhin said.

From Reuters ● May 28, 2023

With a screwdriver or an awl, poke into the wood; if it goes in more than ⅛ inch, rot has probably begun.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 28, 2022

In one example, the investigator’s own fingerprint was found on the awl, demonstrating “incompetence and lack of professionalism,” according to Smith’s filing.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 11, 2022

I sling an extra bow and a second sheath of arrows over my body, slide two long knives and an awl into my belt, and meet up with Finnick at the front of the pile.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

The real power rests in a tropical palace at Buitenzorg, outside Batavia, where lives His Excellency Jonkheer A.W.L.

From Time Magazine Archive

“I hear that pretty much every day,” Treft said, in a back workroom filled with assorted hammers, awls, jerk needles and heavy wax thread.

From Washington Times ● Feb. 6, 2021

Some of the points were shaped into scrapers and awls; others bore a mark where they may have been attached to a shaft and used as spears.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 15, 2018

The site became a tourist attraction; thousands of state schoolchildren were bused in on field trips, as workers on the flood plain unearthed delicate ancient tools such as needles and awls.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 22, 2017

They scrape old layers of varnish and wood with awls, planes and other tools.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 21, 2015

To further proclaim their status, wealthy Olmec carved deep grooves into their teeth and pierced their nasal septums with bone awls, plugging the holes with ornamental jade beads.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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