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

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

The online retailer started as a family-run business in 2004, when Tatyana Kim, a former English teacher from the suburbs of Moscow, started a business reselling clothing from German mail-order catalogs while on maternity leave.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

Darina Justusova, 33, pregnant and on maternity leave, said the heat was making her "much more tired" and forcing her to "take more breaks" during the day.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

At the time, “having to ask for anything in the workplace other than a maternity leave was unheard of,” said McGrail, who was working for a public-relations firm in New York City.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

“So what if your maternity leave went on for thirteen years longer than planned?”

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell