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floating holiday

American  
[floh-ting hol-i-dey] / ˈfloʊ tɪŋ ˈhɒl ɪˌdeɪ /

noun

  1. a day off with pay, usually one of a certain number allotted annually by the employer, that can be taken by an employee on a day of their choice in addition to or in lieu of any of the standard paid public holidays.

    He used one of his floating holidays to take the day off for Eid.

    We provide sick time, vacation time, floating holidays, and several paid holidays.


Etymology

Origin of floating holiday

First recorded in 1950–55

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.

See Examples For:

Additional states, such as California, offer Juneteenth as a floating holiday option.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 18, 2026

If employees want that day off, or Juneteenth, they would have to use the floating holiday.

From Seattle Times Feb. 23, 2022

They also reached a deal to have civilian city workers take two unpaid days off in November and April, in exchange for a new floating holiday.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 23, 2020

The most recent effort to get rid of the holiday was in 2013, when state lawmakers considered a measure to allow business to designate state holidays like Victory Day as a floating holiday for employees.

From Washington Times Aug. 13, 2018

If you're a business owner, this could mean giving veterans a paid day off that is not counted as a floating holiday.

From US News Nov. 11, 2015

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