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
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
Richard Willing
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
Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2025
Then came a cost of living crisis fueled by the war in Ukraine and governments increasing taxes to cover the cost of furlough payments during the pandemic.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Alejandra Borunda, NPR, 9 Apr. 2025
Streamlining operations, closing loss-making programs, furloughing staff and prioritizing projects with clear, measurable returns on investment are all on the table.
—Chase Williams, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for furlough
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Noun
There were already 400 UAW members on indefinite furlough in Kokomo even before Monday’s layoffs.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2025
Then came a cost of living crisis fueled by the war in Ukraine and governments increasing taxes to cover the cost of furlough payments during the pandemic.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Verb
Those staff members have been furloughed until later in the year, the state of their future contracts unclear, according to a NOAA staffer speaking on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution.
—Alejandra Borunda, NPR, 9 Apr. 2025
Streamlining operations, closing loss-making programs, furloughing staff and prioritizing projects with clear, measurable returns on investment are all on the table.
—Chase Williams, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for furlough
Cite this Entry
“Furlough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/furlough. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
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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