awol
awol Lexical Profile
awol Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Unaccountably missing, misplaced, or absent from where one is expected to be (in informal, everyday use).
"My favorite coffee mug has gone AWOL from the office breakroom again."
Absent from one's assigned post or duty without permission, but without the intent to desert permanently (originally used of military personnel).
"The base commander ordered an immediate search after two recruits were reported AWOL."
• adverb
Into a state of unauthorized absence or sudden disappearance (used especially with verbs like 'go').
"Our lead programmer went AWOL right before the software launch, leaving the team scrambling."
• noun
A person, especially a member of the armed forces, who is absent from duty without official permission.
"Military police were dispatched to locate the AWOLs and return them to the barracks."
An act or instance of being absent from one's post or duty without official leave.
"Repeated AWOLs on a service record can result in a court-martial and dishonorable discharge."
Word Nuance & Usage
Most commonly written in all capitals as 'AWOL', this acronym is used almost exclusively as a predicate adjective or adverb (especially in the phrase 'go AWOL'). In military law, being AWOL differs from desertion because it does not imply a permanent intent to abandon service.
• Rhymes for awol
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined as a U.S. military acronym during World War I, standing for 'absent without official leave' (or 'absence without leave'), with earlier roots in similar record-keeping abbreviations from the American Civil War.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.