shore leave
Americannoun
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permission to spend time ashore, usually 48 hours or more, granted a member of a ship's company.
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the time spent ashore during such leave.
noun
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permission to go ashore Compare liberty
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time spent ashore during leave
Etymology
Origin of shore leave
First recorded in 1905–10
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Times were different when Jerome Robbins choreographed “Fancy Free,” his 1944 one-act ballet about three sailors on shore leave.
From New York Times • Feb. 14, 2023
An Israeli official said Ankara had submitted a preliminary request for the crew to disembark on shore leave.
From Reuters • Sep. 4, 2022
But in the era of no shore leave, DiDomenico has become a de facto delivery driver.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 12, 2021
He had not set foot on land since a brief shore leave in August 2019 and he almost never had a day off.
From BBC • Oct. 30, 2020
Conversation: men and women joking, talking about shore leave.
From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.