Meaning & use
leave of absence
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
Official permission to be away from your job or studies for an extended period, with the expectation that you will return.
Grammar: Often used with an or take: she took a leave of absence.
Patterns
- take a leave of absence
- a leave of absence from something
She took a leave of absence from work to care for her father.
The professor was granted a leave of absence to finish her book.
He asked for a six-month leave of absence to travel.
Word forms
| plural | leaves of absence |
|---|
Common combinations
- take a leave of absence
- He decided to take a leave of absence this spring.
- request a leave of absence
- She requested a leave of absence in writing.
- grant a leave of absence
- The board granted him a leave of absence.
- unpaid leave of absence
- An unpaid leave of absence was her only option.
- on a leave of absence
- The director is on a leave of absence until June.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sabbatical
- A sabbatical is a long paid break, usually for study or research, while a leave of absence can be for any reason and is often unpaid.
- time off
- Time off is the casual term and could be a single day, whereas a leave of absence is formal and longer.
- vacation
- A vacation is a regular holiday, but a leave of absence needs special approval.
- furlough
- Furlough is a temporary unpaid layoff by the employer, while a leave of absence is usually requested by the employee.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: leave of absence or AWOL?
leave of absence vs AWOL
AWOL means being away without permission, while a leave of absence is officially approved.
Practice
Maria asked her employer for a ______ so she could study abroad for a semester.
Choose one answer.
A leave of absence is approved time away with the plan to return. The other phrases refer to ending a job, moving or holding a position.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “leave of absence”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.