furlough

American  

[fur-loh] / ˈfɜr loʊ /

noun

1. Military. a vacation or leave of absence granted to an enlisted person.

2. a usually temporary layoff from work.

   Many plant workers have been forced to go on furlough.

3. a temporary leave of absence authorized for a prisoner from a penitentiary.

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verb (used with object)

1. to grant a furlough to.

2. to lay (an employee or worker) off from work, usually temporarily.

furlough British  

/ ˈfɜːləʊ /

noun

1. leave of absence from military duty

2. a temporary laying-off of employees, usually because there is insufficient work to occupy them

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verb

1. to grant a furlough to

2. to lay off (staff) temporarily

Usage

What’s the difference between furlough and layoff? A furlough is a temporary release of a worker from their job, typically with the expectation that they will be asked to return. A layoff is usually a permanent removal from a job. Both words can also be used as verbs. An organization can furlough employees or lay off employees. The adjective forms are furloughed and laid off. A furlough typically involves an employer requiring an employee to stop working for a period of time during which they will not get paid—though furloughed workers sometimes keep their benefits, such as health insurance. Furloughs can happen during government shutdowns or when a company does not need certain employees for a certain period of time but expects to need them back after that period ends. The word layoff is typically used in the context of a company permanently letting go workers due to economic reasons (such as not being able to afford to pay them) as opposed to performance reasons (employees let go for poor performance are typically said to have been fired). Here’s an example of furlough and layoff used correctly in a sentence. Example: A furlough is not ideal, but at least it’s temporary—the company is doing it to avoid layoffs. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between furlough and layoff.

Other Word Forms

• prefurlough
  noun

Etymology

Origin of furlough

First recorded in 1615–25; variant of earlier furloff, furlogh, from Dutch verlof “dismissal, permission to leave,” appparently from Middle Low German vorlōf, noun derivative of vorlöven “to permit (to leave),” blend of vor- for- and erlöven “to allow, permit” ( see a- ³ ( def. ), leave ² ( def. )); cognate with German erlauben, verlauben, Gothic uslaubjan, Old English ālīefan “to allow, permit”; current pronunciation by association with dough, etc.

Explanation

Furlough started as a word for time off from military duty. It spread from there to other types of time off, including an employer furloughing (or laying off) employees. If you're in the military — a pretty tough job — you're probably looking forward to a furlough. That's a leave of absence or bit of time off, kind of like a break or vacation. That kind of a furlough is a great chance for some rest and relaxation. Outside the military, to furlough still means to grant a leave of absence to someone, but often it's a permanent vacation: if your boss furloughed you, he fired you.

Example Sentences

Furlough rates have ranged from about 15% to 40%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 15, 2025

"Furlough ending is not the panacea some people think will magically fill labour supply gaps," said Mr Danker.

From BBC • Sep. 6, 2021

Furlough was introduced in spring 2020, to stop people being laid off by their employers during lockdown.

From BBC • Jul. 30, 2021

Furlough will be wound down further from Sunday as the government asks employers to make a bigger contribution to the wage support scheme.

From BBC • Jul. 28, 2021

And then Furlough stood up on his hind legs and placed his right paw over his heart.

From "The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread" by Kate DiCamillo