The usual furlough meaning today is a temporary break from work that your employer puts you on, often without pay, with the plan that you will come back. You still have the job; you just are not working it for a while.
The word is older than modern offices. It started as a soldier's leave of absence, and it still carries that sense in the military and in some prison systems. The sections that follow give each use its own short definition of furlough, set it beside a layoff, and show it working as a verb.
Entry at a glance
Meaning
A temporary leave from work or duty, often unpaidPart of speech
Noun and verbPronunciation
FUR-loh (the gh is silent)Word forms
furloughs, furloughed, furloughingOrigin
Dutch verlof, permission, first used in English in the 1620sClose words
leave, layoff, unpaid leave, temporary layoffRegister
Neutral; common in HR, government and military writing
Furlough meaning in plain words
To define furlough simply: it is time away that someone in charge grants or orders, with a clear expectation of return. The word has three main uses.
- At work. An employer tells staff to stop working for a set time, typically when money or orders have dried up. Pay often stops or drops, but the job is kept open.
- In the military. A soldier gets permission to leave duty for a period, for example to go home. This is the oldest sense.
- In prisons. In some countries, a prisoner may be let out for a short, supervised time, for example to attend a funeral or work, and must then return.
The core meaning of furlough in all three is permission plus a return date. A furlough is never meant to be permanent.
Furlough versus layoff and other kinds of leave
| Term | Job kept? | Usually paid? | Who decides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Furlough | Yes | Often not, or partly | Employer |
| Layoff | Usually no | No, apart from any severance | Employer |
| Sabbatical | Yes | Sometimes | Mostly the worker asks |
| Paid leave | Yes | Yes | Worker asks, employer approves |
What matters most: a furloughed worker is still an employee. A laid off worker usually is not. In the UK, the word redundant is used for a job that is ended for good, which is a different thing again.
Examples of furlough in sentences
- The hotel put most of its kitchen staff on furlough until the tourist season picks up again.
- My cousin was furloughed for six weeks and used the time to finish a short online course.
- The sergeant spent his ten day furlough helping his parents move house.
- Will we keep our health cover during the furlough, or does that stop too?
- The factory announced rolling furloughs, so each team takes one unpaid week a month.
Furlough in grammar: noun, verb, adjective
As a noun, people say on furlough, a two week furlough, unpaid furlough or a furlough period. As a verb, it is used in the active ("the company furloughed 200 staff") and even more often in the passive ("I have been furloughed"). The adjective form furloughed workers is common in news reports.
The verb takes a person as its object. You furlough employees, not jobs. If you want to talk about the job itself, say the role is "on hold" or "paused".
Dutch roots of furlough
English borrowed the word in the 1620s from Dutch verlof, which meant permission or leave. Early English spellings looked quite different, such as vorloffe. For a long time it meant a soldier's leave of absence granted by an officer. Spelling with gh won out during the 1700s.
The workplace sense of a temporary layoff grew in the 20th century in the United States, first for civilian staff working for the military, and later for workers in general.
Furlough in US, UK and Indian workplaces
In the US, the word is heard often when parts of the federal government shut down because funding has not been approved. Many government staff are then sent home until the money comes through. In the UK, it became an everyday word during the pandemic, when a job retention scheme paid a large share of wages for staff who were told to stop working. In India, you are more likely to hear leave without pay in company letters, though large firms with global offices also use furlough.
A theme park closes for repairs for two months. It tells its ride operators to stay home, keeps their jobs and badges active, and promises they will be called back once the work is done.
This is a furlough: the break is forced by the employer, it is temporary, and the job is still there at the end.
Common mix-ups
Some people spell it furlow or furlo because of the sound. The correct spelling keeps the gh, just like though. Another mix-up is treating a furlough as a firing. Being furloughed does not mean you did anything wrong, and it is not the end of your contract. It also differs from attrition, where staff numbers shrink because people leave and are not replaced.
Browse related work vocabulary in our business and money pages.
Frequently asked questions
What does furloughed mean?
Furloughed means your employer has told you to stop working for a period, usually without full pay, while keeping your job open. You are expected to return when the furlough ends.
What is the simplest furlough definition?
A furlough is a temporary, approved absence from work or duty, often unpaid, after which you are expected back.
Do you get paid on furlough?
It depends. Many furloughs are unpaid, some are partly paid, and some government schemes have covered part of wages. Check your contract and any local rules.
Is a furlough the same as being laid off?
No. After a furlough you normally go back to the same job. A layoff usually ends the job, even if the company may rehire later.
How do you pronounce furlough?
Say FUR-loh. The gh at the end is silent, and you push the first beat, FUR.
Can a furlough have a set end date?
Yes, many do, such as a two week or one month furlough. Others are open ended and end when business picks up, which can be stressful for staff.
What is a furlough in the army?
It is a soldier's approved leave of absence from duty. This was the first meaning of the word in English.