shore leave

American

noun

Navy.

permission to spend time ashore, usually 48 hours or more, granted a member of a ship's company.
the time spent ashore during such leave.

shore leave British

noun

permission to go ashore Compare liberty
time spent ashore during leave

"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

Etymology

Origin of shore leave

First recorded in 1905–10

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.

Normally arrival in a new port means loading and unloading cargo, shore leave, and ordering provisions.

From BBC • Sep. 20, 2025

An Israeli official said Ankara had submitted a preliminary request for the crew to disembark on shore leave.

From Reuters • Sep. 4, 2022

And, of course, the service members take advantage of their shore leave to explore the city’s many diversions.

From New York Times • May 28, 2022

But in the era of no shore leave, DiDomenico has become a de facto delivery driver.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 12, 2021

Conversation: men and women joking, talking about shore leave.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023