sabbaticals

plural of sabbatical
as in vacations
a period of time during which someone does not work at their regular job Several professors will be taking sabbaticals this year. She recently returned to work after a two-year sabbatical from her acting career.

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of sabbaticals For cultural and biological reasons, female tennis players far more commonly take sabbaticals. Josh Levin, The Atlantic, 9 July 2026 Experimenting with ideas like the four-day workweek, longer sabbaticals, and cultures where recovery is understood not as a luxury, but as a leadership capability. Denielle Sachs, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 DiDonna also identified the moments when sabbaticals tend to land best. Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 28 May 2026 Mostly in the Palisades with intermittent sabbaticals from my dad. Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026 In an article for the Harvard Business Review, the researchers made a case for sabbaticals as a tool employers could use to recruit, keep and foster talented workers. Colleen Newvine, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2026 Taking a break from college to be a ski bum in Vail, Colorado, set Gregory Du Bois on a path of taking mini-sabbaticals throughout his corporate IT career. Colleen Newvine, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2026 Faculty are constantly taking sabbaticals for stress management, including the principal. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Feb. 2026 Galleries featuring emerging artists, a rotating list of artists-in-residence, as well as a program offering semester-long sabbaticals, were also on the docket for the unfulfilled project. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sabbaticals
Noun
  • The two spent nearly all their time together — playing baseball, riding bikes and playing in the street, taking family vacations and making memories that lasted into adulthood.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
  • After narrowing it all down, these are the 10 travel outfits that earned a spot in my suitcase for Europe and the rest of my summer vacations.
    Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 22 July 2026
Noun
  • Suarez has said his plan would also mark a departure from what’s become common practice on the Beach for new construction where developers request variances and other breaks for projects.
    Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
  • First, get rid of the hydration breaks; just go to a true quarters system.
    The Athletic UK Staff, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Noun
  • Police, firefighters, paramedics, and 911 employees are exempt from the furloughs.
    Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 30 June 2026
  • The savings the city will get from the unpaid worker furloughs during the first year of the deal — the new fiscal year starting July 1 — nearly covers the cost of the 2% raises and other benefits employees get that first year.
    David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2026
Noun
  • Needless to say, there are only a handful of milkweed leaves left in the yard that remain within their reach.
    Markis Hill, Kansas City Star, 26 July 2026
  • The leaves were also quite yellow, which suggests a nutrient deficiency.
    Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 July 2026
Noun
  • Traditional attitudes towards work also discouraged employees from taking holidays, as holidays were seen as a kind of privilege rather than a contractual right, Brown adds.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 23 July 2026
  • Back-to-school shopping is on the horizon and so are sales tax holidays.
    Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 22 July 2026
Noun
  • Public safety and constitutional liberties should reinforce one another, not come into conflict.
    Eric "Doc" Stelnicki, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 2026
  • Once that classroom discussion begins, academics will surely have some more words for all the creative liberties Nolan’s movie takes.
    Antonio Ferme, Variety, 18 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sabbaticals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sabbaticals. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on sabbaticals

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster