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personal day

American  
[pur-suh-nl dey] / ˈpɜr sə nl ˌdeɪ /

noun

  1. a day that an employee chooses to take off from work for personal reasons.

    I took a personal day to attend my sister's graduation.


Etymology

Origin of personal day

First recorded in 1970–75

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.

Does this count as a sick day, or would I need to use a personal day?

From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026

Before arriving in the capital Nuuk, Trump Jr said he was going on a "personal day trip" to talk to people, and had no meetings planned with government officials.

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2025

I hit the submit button, and a second later came my answer: “Your personal day of death is Wednesday, April 23, 2031.”

From Washington Post • Jan. 29, 2023

The workers say their employers limit their options for taking paid time off in practice — for example, by narrowing the windows in which they can take vacation or rejecting a requested personal day.

From New York Times • Nov. 21, 2022

We make a big group at the local community college, all of us kids, Mr. Hameed, and Dad, who took a personal day off from work.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

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