absent without leave

adjective

: absent without authority from one's place of duty in the armed forces

Examples of absent without leave in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web No final decision has been made, officials said, and as of now King’s status is still AWOL, or absent without leave. Gawon Bae, CNN, 15 Aug. 2023 Just last month, Daniel W. Swift, a Navy SEAL who was reported absent without leave, was killed in Ukraine, officials confirmed to CBS News. Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2023 Under the Hunter provision, if members are absent without leave — something granted only by a majority vote — they can be punished. Dallas News, 11 Jan. 2023 The only judge to be convicted by the Senate was one impeached for being absent without leave. Haley Bemiller, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2022 See all Example Sentences for absent without leave 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'absent without leave.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1743, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of absent without leave was in 1743

Dictionary Entries Near absent without leave

Cite this Entry

“Absent without leave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/absent%20without%20leave. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Legal Definition

absent without leave

ab·​sent with·​out leave
: absent from one's place of duty in the armed forces without authority
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