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shore leave

shore leave

14 5.6
Official permission for sailors to go ashore while their ship is in port
  • noun
  • /ʃɔr liːv/
  • Jargon
translation icon : licencia en tierra
  • The captain announced that the crew would have shore leave for two days while the ship was docked.

Examples

  • I'll give the crew shore leave, apart from the mate and two others.

  • Tia reckoned shrewdly that he had been celebrating his shore leave a little too heavily.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • I had shore leave in Australia.

  • This is a much better place to spend a quiet shore leave.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • You want to check with the Navy to see if we have shore leave...

    Fiction book (1997)
  • I am forced to cancel shore leave for both ships.

  • Would you like shore leave or are you staying aboard?

  • And still waiting for that first shore leave, missing Jack terribly.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • An American officer on shore leave in the Middle East must travel in mufti, civilian clothes.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • You'll be receiving Starfleet's highest commendation, and more importantly, extended shore leave.

Synonyms

leave
vsshore leave
  • Formal
443 3.8

Official permission to be absent from work or duty

is specific to sailors getting permission to go ashore while in port
liberty
vsshore leave
  • Jargon
26 6.1

A short period when a sailor is allowed to leave the ship

requires permission to go ashore while the ship is in port

How Long

to furlough
11 7.5
shore leave
  • Jargon
14 5.6
liberty
  • Jargon
26 6.1
pass
374 1.6

Surface Forms

shore leave singular
shore leaves plural

Morphology

shore + leave

The meaning 'official permission for a sailor to go ashore' is directly and transparently derived from 'shore' (land at the edge of water) + 'leave' (authorized absence). This compound follows a straightforward English noun+noun composition and similar maritime terms exist across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Shore leave comes from life on ships. When sailors reached the shore, they were given leave to go ashore and rest, so the phrase means 'official permission for a sailor to go ashore while the ship is in port'.