annual leave

American

[an-yoo-uhl leev] / ˈæn yu əl ˈliv /

noun

the amount of time or number of paid work days in a year that an employee is entitled to take off work for vacation or personal reasons.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

annual leaves

plural

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.

Fuel shortages in Ethiopia have forced some government institutions to send employees on annual leave.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

She said she felt upset and distressed that her employer failed to offer her support after the incident, so she used some annual leave to take time away from her job.

From BBC • Dec. 17, 2025

"I've got minimal annual leave left - but I'm sure if I take unpaid leave the £25,000 will come in handy!"

From BBC • Dec. 14, 2025

She alleged staff were being fired and rehired on "substantially worse" terms and conditions, including a decrease in annual leave.

From BBC • Sep. 19, 2025

These correspondents have sent in their reports all year round, without taking into account their weekly holidays, public holidays or annual leave.

From Behind the News: Voices from Goa's Press by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023