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

There were bright spots: the vaccines and their rollout by the N.H.S.; the intervention of the Treasury, under Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, whose furlough plan protected millions of jobs. —Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024

Many industries had to make the unfortunate decision to lay off or furlough employees at the height of the pandemic. —Craig Dunaway, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024

But if a closure goes longer, more than half of IRS employees would face furloughs at the height of tax filing season. —Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024

Transfusions are performed at a hospital outside the camp, but an emergency furlough from the authorities is maddeningly difficult to obtain, and Da’ad, who works at a grocery in the souk, can’t always afford the treatments. —Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024

Double majoring is on the rise, and the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that over the long term, college graduates with two majors or a dual degree are 56% less likely to suffer significant disruptions to earnings—like pay cuts, furloughs or layoffs—than those with one major. —Forbes Daily, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024

With no deal in place before Sunday, federal workers would face furloughs, more than 2 million active-duty and reserve military troops would work without pay and programs and services that Americans rely on from coast to coast would begin to face shutdown disruptions. —Lisa Mascaro, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2023

Advertisement California Thanksgiving travel will be at record-breaking levels: 9 common-sense tips can keep you sane Nov. 16, 2023 During the early months of the pandemic, airline travel nearly ground to a halt, forcing carriers to lay off or furlough thousands of workers. —Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2023

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

Verb

When funding lapses, many government workers are furloughed until their agencies reopen. —Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024

When the government does shut down, thousands of federal employees are furloughed. —USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024

My friend was recently furloughed and he’s asked me for some money (a couple of thousand dollars). —Amy Wagner and Steve Hruby, The Enquirer, 12 Mar. 2024

The lasting lesson of the Hartstein ruling is that employees furloughed without a definite return date are immediately entitled to the value of their unused vacation time. —Dan Eaton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024

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

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