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Glite Dictionary
leave of absence

leave of absence

38 3.9
A period when someone is officially allowed to be away from work or school
  • noun
  • /liːv əv ˈæbsəns/
  • Formal
translation icon : licencia
  • We think that you should take a leave of absence until we're able to sort all this out.
  • take a leave of absence
  • a leave of absence from work
  • one-year leave of absence

I told him I wanted to leave of absence for a year and and I took off.

Examples

  • I just took a year's leave of absence and I was hauling antiques.

  • An employee was requesting a one-month leave of absence so that he could try out a job at another company.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Besides, they put us on leave of absence.

    Rising Sun (1993)

  • I took a leave of absence after that.

    Blitz (2011)

  • - Well, I might have to take a leave of absence in the near future.

    Hometown Hero (2017)

  • What we said officially was that I was being given a leave of absence.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • I took a leave of absence this semester; I needed a break from law school.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Apple CEO Steve Jobs says he's taking a medical leave of absence so he can focus on his health.

  • While you're sorting out your options, I'm gonna take a leave of absence, full pay, to recover from the mental and emotional distress.

    Sleep Easy, Hutch Rimes (2000)

  • Apple CEO Steve Jobs says he's taking a leave of absence so he can focus on his health.

Synonyms

leave
vsleave of absence
  • Formal
443 3.8

Official permission to be absent from work or duty

is a formal recorded period allowed for employees or students
time off
vsleave of absence
160 1.6

A time when you are not working, often to rest or recover

is a formal authorised period away from duties rather than informal rest

How Long

sabbatical
31 6.6
leave of absence
  • Formal
38 3.9
leave
  • Formal
443 3.8
day off
283 1.1
break
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

leave of absence singular
leaves of absence plural

Morphology

leave + of + absence

The phrase's meaning is directly built from its parts: 'leave' (authorized absence) combined with 'absence' (a span of time away) linked by the genitive-like 'of'. This composition follows a standard, cross-linguistically common pattern (permission/period + of + absence) and would be clear to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

The noun leave of absence comes from old army and work practice, where a person was given official leave, 'permission', to be absent from work. So today it means a period when someone is allowed 'to be away' from their job or school.