What does awol mean?
Awol describes someone who is absent from their assigned post, duties, or workplace without official permission. The term originated in the United States military as an abbreviation of 'absent without leave,' where it denotes a serious disciplinary matter: a service member who fails to report for duty may face court-martial if the absence is prolonged. Over time, the word escaped its military confines and entered everyday speech, where it is applied loosely to employees who vanish from work, students who skip school, or even colleagues who stop responding to messages. It typically appears with the verb 'go' — 'to go awol' — and can also be used figuratively for things that have mysteriously disappeared. Informal but widely understood across British and American English, awol carries connotations of irresponsibility and unauthorized absence rather than permanent desertion, distinguishing it subtly from outright desertion.
adjectiveAbsent without leave; away from one's post or duties without official permission. Originally a military term, now widely applied to anyone who has disappeared from work, school, or other expected obligations.
- Absent from one's post, duty, or workplace without official permission (military and civilian usage).
- Used figuratively to describe something missing, unavailable, or inexplicably absent.
"The sergeant discovered that two of his soldiers had gone awol the night before inspection."
"Private Ellis went awol for three days and faced disciplinary action on his return."
"Our project manager has been awol all week, leaving the team without direction."
Rarely pluralized; when referring to multiple absentees, writers more often say 'soldiers awol' or keep it as a predicate ('three men were awol').
"The base reported several awols that month."
AWOL started life as four separate letters — 'absent without leave' — before Americans fused them into a single pronounceable word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of awol
Awol derives from the United States military abbreviation A.W.O.L., standing for 'absent without leave.' The abbreviation emerged during the era of the World Wars, when it was used in American armed forces records and slang. In American English the letters were eventually fused and pronounced as a single word, and the term spread into general civilian usage by the mid-twentieth century. There are no true cognates, since the word is a modern English acronymic formation rather than an inherited word from Latin, Greek, or another root language.
How awol is actually used
Informal in civilian use but standard terminology in military contexts. Often written in all capitals as 'AWOL' when treated as an acronym, or lowercase as 'awol' when used as an ordinary word. Frequently paired with the verb 'go' ('to go awol').
Easily confused with awol
A deserter permanently abandons military duty with no intent to return, whereas someone who is awol is simply absent without authorization and may intend to come back.