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PTO

American  
[pee-tee-oh] / ˈpiˈtiˈoʊ /

abbreviation

  1. paid time off; personal time off: a block of hours that combines all of an employee’s paid sick days, personal days, and vacation time.

  2. parent-teacher organization: an organization made up of parents and teachers at a school that works together to promote mutual understanding and to increase the effectiveness of the educational program.

  3. Patent and Trademark Office.

  4. please turn over (a page or leaf). null P.T.O., p.t.o.

  5. Machinery. power takeoff.


PTO British  

abbreviation

  1. please turn over

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

I’m paid 25 percent less than I was for my job at Meta, with five annual PTO days and zero paid holidays, and I’m overqualified for the work I do.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

Lindsay Lalonde, who lives in Canada, told Salon via email that wellness in the workplace for her would be “flexible working hours, more PTO, and recognition.”

From Salon • Feb. 13, 2024

In December, Americans were holding on to hundreds of millions of days of unused paid time off, referred to as PTO.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 31, 2024

You could ask off for Friday, May 24 or Tuesday, May 28 to give yourself a four-day break by using just one PTO day.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 31, 2024

“Do you remember Ms. Morales, who was PTO president at Lakeside the year before last?”

From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix