furlough

1 of 2

noun

fur·​lough ˈfər-(ˌ)lō 

1

: a leave of absence granted to a governmental or institutional employee (such as a soldier or civil servant)

The Army began furloughs in September as so-called 'sanity checks' for soldiers whose tour has stretched to nearly a year.

—Jenny Deam

also : a document authorizing such a leave of absence

2

: a temporary leave from work that is not paid and is often for a set period of time

One possible way to avoid layoffs is through furloughs—making workers take an unpaid leave of absence …

—Paul B. Brown

3

: a set period of time when a prisoner is allowed to leave a prison

Those probation officers are then able to monitor criminals serving their sentences in work camps or on furlough rather than in jail as a way of relieving overcrowding.

—Richard Willing

furlough

2 of 2

verb

furloughed; furloughing; furloughs

transitive verb

1

: to grant a leave of absence or furlough to (someone)

a soldier being furloughed

a furloughed prisoner

2

: to put (a worker) on furlough : to lay off (a worker) for usually a brief or temporary period

… other airlines are placing pressure on the unionized pilots to take large salary cuts—at least those pilots who haven't already been "furloughed" (the word pilots use instead of the more plebeian "laid off").

—George Hopkins

Although no one could supply exact figures, sources in Washington, D.C., said nearly 500,000 federal workers were furloughed for all or part of Thursday. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach area about 11,000 of the 40,000 federal workers were sent home because of the operating fund impasse in Congress.

—Jerry Belcher

Synonyms

Noun

• ax
• axe
• discharge
• dismissal
• layoff
• redundancy [chiefly British]

Examples of furlough in a Sentence

Noun

Each employee will have a one-day furlough every month.

the landscaping company usually has to put most of its personnel on furlough during the extremely slow winter months

Verb

The company will consider furloughing a small number of workers.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Eligibility depends on the circumstances of job separation, such as layoffs, furloughs or resignations under duress. —Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025

In addition to the furloughs in Haiti, senior career officials with the U.S. Agency for International Development were also removed from their posts on Monday. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 28 Jan. 2025

Verb

Church World Service of Durham is furloughing two-thirds of its staff, The News & Observer recently reported. —Zachery Eanes, Axios, 10 Feb. 2025

Though 69 people were furloughed last week, Spiegel said Vista is hiring in the clinical areas, which directly impacts the delivery of healthcare. —Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Dutch verlof, literally, permission, from Middle Dutch, from ver- for- + lof permission; akin to Middle High German loube permission — more at for-, leave

First Known Use

Noun

1631, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1781, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing furlough

• on furlough

Kids Definition

furlough

1 of 2 noun

fur·​lough ˈfər-lō 

: a leave of absence from duty granted especially to a soldier

furlough

2 of 2 verb

1

: to grant a furlough to

2

: to lay off from work