maternity leave

American  

noun

• maternity leaves
  plural

1. a leave of absence for an expectant or new mother for the birth and care of the baby.

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maternity leave British  

noun

1. a period of paid absence from work, in Britain currently six months, to which a woman is legally entitled during the months immediately before and after childbirth

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• maternity leaves
  plural

Etymology

Origin of maternity leave

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

maternity leave

I’d rather stay at home and enjoy my baby’s first year, but maternity leave is so short.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

Clancy, who gave birth to her youngest child in May 2022, began experiencing anxiety about returning to work as a labor and delivery nurse after maternity leave, according to trial testimonies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Over 120 nations around the world - including all European countries - provide paid maternity leave.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

The person actually leaving, of course, is White House “pep secretary” Karoline Leavitt, who returned from paid maternity leave about a month ago and has only briefed the press corps twice since returning.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

It was a good workplace, allowing her to take six weeks of maternity leave after Lexie’s birth, then Trip’s, then Moody’s.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng