shore leave

noun

: a leave of absence to go on shore granted to a sailor or naval officer

Examples of shore leave in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Additionally, the unions are asking for officials to arrange for shore leave for the crew once the ship returns to port, as their visas expired while they’ve been stranded. Jean Marbella, Baltimore Sun, 12 May 2024 The wooden gatehouse and cellblocks of the Old Lahaina Prison, built in the 1850s to deal with rowdy sailors on shore leave, are gone. Tim Arango, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2023 The ships were docked in San Francisco, where the crews were on shore leave. Longreads, 5 Sep. 2023 Cash, like a sailor on shore leave, gets around. Karen Heller, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2020 See all Example Sentences for shore leave 

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

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shore leave was in 1888

Dictionary Entries Near shore leave

Cite this Entry

“Shore leave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shore%20leave. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.

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