sick leave

noun

1
: an absence from work permitted because of illness
2
: the number of days per year for which an employer agrees to pay employees who are sick

Examples of sick leave in a Sentence

employee benefits such as vacation time and sick leave We are allotted three weeks annual sick leave. He's been on sick leave since last Thursday.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Workers said the company has failed to provide protection from violent customers and doesn’t provide proper access to paid sick leave. Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026 The other category payments include bonus incentives, settlements, vacation or sick leave buybacks, stipends, and reimbursements for expenses like mileage or uniforms, according to the city dataset. Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 15 Apr. 2026 Employers are now also obliged to provide maternity, paternity and paid sick leave from the moment an employee joins. Ian King, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2026 As many as 33,000 NagaCorp staff used the clinic annually between 2023 and 2025, and the number of employees requesting sick leave fell by around 11% each year. Alice Williams, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sick leave

Word History

First Known Use

1820, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sick leave was in 1820

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sick leave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sick%20leave. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.

Medical Definition

sick leave

noun
1
: an absence from work permitted because of illness
2
: the number of days per year for which an employer agrees to pay employees who are sick
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