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.

Denied shore leave after more than three weeks at sea and still reeling from the news the world is in lockdown, the crew are concerned about what lies ahead.

From BBC • Sep. 20, 2025

Times were different when Jerome Robbins choreographed “Fancy Free,” his 1944 one-act ballet about three sailors on shore leave.

From New York Times • Feb. 14, 2023

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

From Reuters • Sep. 4, 2022

Cargo carriers prohibited shore leave for their crews.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 12, 2021

Beatrice proceeded on the arm of Lamont, who had shore leave for the occasion.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

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