furlough

1 of 2

noun

fur·​lough ˈfər-(ˌ)lō How to pronounce furlough (audio)
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

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
If no deal was in place before today, federal workers would have faced furloughs, more than 2 million active-duty and reserve military troops would have had to work without pay and programs and services that Americans rely on from coast to coast would have begun to face shutdown disruptions. Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2023 With no deal in sight, millions of federal employees and others who stand to be affected by a government shutdown are preparing for the prospect of furlough and missing paychecks. Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2023 But response times for people with issues could be delayed due to furloughs. Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2023 If no deal was in place before Sunday, federal workers would have faced furloughs, more than 2 million active-duty and reserve military troops would have had to work without pay and programs and services that Americans rely on from coast to coast would have begun to face shutdown disruptions. Lisa Mascaro, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2023 Nonessential government programs could also be paused — during the 2018 shutdown, the Army and Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve canceled training, and furloughs went into effect. Melissa Quinn, Kathryn Watson, Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 22 Sep. 2023 Over several tumultuous years, city leaders imposed furloughs and eliminated thousands of city positions, including some through layoffs. David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2024 Then there are services like the National Park Service, which will have to close parks and furlough rangers. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 29 Sep. 2023 His aides and staffers, however, are subject to the furlough requirements under the Antideficiency Act, meaning those in nonessential positions could be told to stay home until Congress authorizes more funding. Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 22 Sep. 2023
Verb
Some employees in essential roles would be required to work without pay, others would be furloughed, but still receive backpay once any shutdown ends. Simon Moore, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 But implementing this new guidelines could be stymied if the Food and Nutrition Service staff that administers the National School Lunch Program is furloughed. Laura Reiley, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2023 If the government does shut down, thousands of federal employees would be furloughed. USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2024 In November, Syracuse Opera canceled the rest of its season and furloughed its staff of one full-time and four part-time employees. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2024 While essential workers will remain on the job without pay, others will be furloughed. Sarah Beth Hensley, ABC News, 25 Sep. 2023 Employees who perform medical and prosthetic research are expected to be furloughed. Melissa Quinn, Kathryn Watson, Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 22 Sep. 2023 When funding lapses, many government workers are furloughed until their agencies reopen. Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2024 In addition to the millions of federal workers who will become furloughed or forced to work without pay, federal contracts with private-sector employers would halt, forcing HR teams to figure out how to support affected employees financially and how their business will be impacted. Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'furlough.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of furlough was in 1631

Dictionary Entries Near furlough

Cite this Entry

“Furlough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/furlough. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

furlough

1 of 2 noun
fur·​lough ˈfər-lō How to pronounce furlough (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on furlough

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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