How do you use "AWOL" in a sentence?

He's gone AWOL—no one's seen him for days. My phone has gone AWOL again. The delivery driver seems to have gone AWOL.

AWOL

Q: What does "AWOL" mean?

Absent Without Leave; missing Military acronym for being absent without permission. In civilian use, means someone who is missing, unreachable, or has disappeared without explanation.

Slang Term BritishAmericanAustralian ★★★★★ Very Common Casual

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Meaning: Absent Without Leave; missing

擅离职守；失踪

Ausente sin permiso; desaparecido

無断欠勤、行方不明

무단이탈, 행방불명

Military acronym for being absent without permission. In civilian use, means someone who is missing, unreachable, or has disappeared without explanation.

表示未经许可缺席的军事缩写。在民间用语中，指某人失踪、联系不上或不明原因消失。

Acrónimo militar que significa estar ausente sin permiso. En uso civil, significa que alguien está desaparecido, ilocalizable o ha desaparecido sin explicación.

無許可の不在を意味する軍事略語。民間では、行方不明、連絡が取れない、説明なく姿を消した人を指す。

무허가 이탈을 뜻하는 군사 약어. 민간에서는 연락이 안 되거나 설명 없이 사라진 사람을 가리킨다.

Examples

He's gone AWOL—no one's seen him for days.
他失踪了，好几天没人见过他
Se ha esfumado, nadie le ha visto en días
彼は行方不明だ、何日も誰も見ていない
그가 잠적했어—며칠째 아무도 못 봤어.
My phone has gone AWOL again.
我的手机又不知道跑哪去了
Mi móvil ha desaparecido otra vez
また携帯がどこかに行ってしまった
또 핸드폰이 어디론가 사라져 버렸어.
The delivery driver seems to have gone AWOL.
快递员好像失踪了
El repartidor parece haberse esfumado
配達員が行方不明のようだ
배달 기사가 잠적한 것 같아.

Pronunciation

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, military, informal

Tone: informal, sometimes humorous

✓ Do Say

Gone AWOL
失踪了
Se ha esfumado
行方不明になった
잠적했어
He's AWOL
他不见了
Está ilocalizable
彼はいなくなった
그는 행방불명이야

✗ Don't Say

Universally understood
广泛理解的表达
Universalmente entendido
広く理解されている表現
널리 통용되는 표현

Common Mistakes

Not knowing it's an acronym

Origin & History

Military acronym: Absent Without Official Leave. A serious offense in the armed forces. Adopted into civilian usage to describe anyone or anything that has mysteriously disappeared.

Etymology: Acronym: Absent Without Official Leave

First recorded: WWI era military

Cultural Context

Era: WWI onwards

Generation: All generations

Social background: Universal

Pop culture: Military films; General usage

Regional notes: Universal English, military origin.

Variations

AWOLGo AWOLGone AWOL