Meaning & use
annual leave
Last updated
UK/ˌæn.ju.əl ˈliːv/
US/ˌæn.ju.əl ˈliːv/
Meaning
noununcountable
Paid time off from work that an employee is allowed to take each year.
Grammar: Uncountable: you say 'take annual leave', not 'take an annual leave'.
Patterns
- take annual leave
- be on annual leave
- accrue annual leave
- annual leave entitlement
She is on annual leave until next Monday.
I have 20 days of annual leave this year.
He used his annual leave to visit his family abroad.
Common combinations
- take annual leave
- I need to take annual leave next week for a wedding.
- be on annual leave
- The manager is on annual leave, so please email her assistant.
- annual leave entitlement
- Your annual leave entitlement increases after five years.
- accrue annual leave
- Employees accrue annual leave at a rate of two days per month.
Synonyms and how they differ
- vacation
- Common in American English for time off, but 'vacation' can also mean a trip; 'annual leave' is the official work term.
- paid time off (PTO)
- American term for the same idea, often including sick days; 'annual leave' usually refers only to vacation days.
Word family
- leave noun
- General word for authorized absence from work or duty.
Commonly confused: annual leave or sick leave?
annual leave vs sick leave
Sick leave is time off because you are ill; annual leave is planned vacation time.
Practice
Fill in the blank: I have 15 days of ______ leave left this year.
Choose one answer.
Annual leave is the fixed phrase for yearly vacation time. Annually is an adverb, anniversary is a date, and annuity is a financial product.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “annual leave”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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