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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

awl

/ɔl/

IPA accent not specified by source

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American Pronunciation Guide · 1:05
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What does awl mean?

noun

  1. A pointed instrument for piercing small holes, as in leather or wood; used by shoemakers, saddlers, cabinetmakers, etc. The blade is differently shaped and pointed for different uses, as in the brad awl, saddler's awl, shoemaker's awl, etc.
  2. Any of various hesperiid butterflies.

adjective

  1. Alternative form of AWOL (“absent without leave”).
More meanings (1)

proper noun

  1. Initialism of Alliance for Workers' Liberty.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ɔl/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

These were all useless individuals, and the Republic would give them a little surprise by putting a labourer's spade or a shoemaker's awl into their hands.
René DoumicGeorge Sand: Some Aspects of Her Life and WritingsTranslated by Alys HallardProject Gutenberg ebook #138
Other implements of the expert scribe were a pencil, compasses, scissors, an awl, a knife for erasures, a ruler, and a weight to keep down the vellum.
Ernest Albert SavageOld English libraries : $b the making, collection, and use of books during the Middle AgesProject Gutenberg ebook #1615
More book examples (3)
Mother badger, in her excited way, had pierced hard through the buckskin and stuck her fingers repeatedly with her sharp awl until she had laid aside her work.
Zitkala-SaOld Indian LegendsProject Gutenberg ebook #338
The Sioux Indians will not stick an awl or a needle into a stick of wood on the fire, or chop on it with an axe or a knife.
Ignatius DonnellyAtlantis: The Antedeluvian WorldProject Gutenberg ebook #4032
Several old shoes were very decently repaired, and with waxed ends, an awl, and the top of an old boot, I made me quite a respectable sheath for my knife.
Richard Henry DanaTwo Years Before the MastProject Gutenberg ebook #2055