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
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
Paul B. Brown3
: a set period of time when a prisoner is allowed to leave a prison
see also on furlough
furloughed; furloughing; furloughs
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
George HopkinsAlthough 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
Jerry BelcherExamples 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
Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
When Mitchell was released on probation in 2024, he was ordered to attend college in Sacramento and participate in a weekend furlough from juvenile hall, court records show.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
The record, 43-day government shutdown last fall furloughed IRS employees who had been working through that list of unprocessed items, and also affected the agency’s hiring plans.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for furlough
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Noun
Her medical furlough was initially to be for three weeks, but her time out of prison lengthened, possibly on account of activists and Western powers pushing Iran to keep her free.
—Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
When Mitchell was released on probation in 2024, he was ordered to attend college in Sacramento and participate in a weekend furlough from juvenile hall, court records show.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
After she was furloughed in December 2024 for medical reasons, she was rearrested in December 2025 at a ceremony honoring Khosrow Alikordi, an Iranian lawyer and human rights advocate who had been based in Mashhad.
—Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
The record, 43-day government shutdown last fall furloughed IRS employees who had been working through that list of unprocessed items, and also affected the agency’s hiring plans.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for furlough
Cite this Entry
“Furlough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/furlough. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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 verb1
: to grant a furlough to
2
: to lay off from work
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