leave
noun [ U ]
uk/liːv/ us WORKPLACE, HR
a period of time that someone is allowed away from work for holiday, illness, or another special reason:
take leave from sth I'm taking 5 days' unpaid leave from work to go to the wedding.
be/go on leave from sth Benefits will need to be adjusted when an employee is on leave from their job.
The appointee will be entitled to 38 days of annual leave.
Higher maternity pay and a longer leave entitlement are likely outcomes of the review.
adoption/bereavement/child-care leave
educational/medical leave
paid/unpaid leave
formal
agreement or permission to do something:
be given/granted leave to do sth She has been granted leave to remain in the country.
No application should be issued without my leave.
be placed/put on leave
WORKPLACE, HR
to be told to take time away from work, usually because you have been accused of doing something wrong:
The director of financial aid was recently placed on leave for accepting consulting fees from a loan company.
leave to appeal
LAW
permission to formally ask for a legal or official decision to be changed:
The defendant was given 14 days' leave to appeal against the decision.
See also
administrative leave
compassionate leave
family leave
gardening leave
maternity leave
parental leave
paternity leave
sabbatical
sick leave
special leave
leave
verb
usuk/liːv/ past tense and past participle left uk/left/ [ I, T ]
to go away from a place or a situation:
I'm leaving work early this afternoon.
What time does the bus leave?
They left for Paris last night.
[ I, T ]
to go away from a place permanently:
She left her home country many years ago.
[ I, T ]
to stop working for an organization or company, or stop attending a school, university, etc. :
She left to go to a rival company.
Ben Harris? He left about a month ago.
How old were you when you left school?
Compare
retire
[ T ]
to not use all of something:
Is there any money left in last year's budget?.
[ T ]
to do something later that you could do immediately:
He always leaves writing is reports till the very last moment.
You should try to decide which tasks need to be done urgently and which ones can be left.
[ T ]
to arrange for someone to receive something after you die:
His aunt left him a lot of money.
He left the house to this three children.
leave sb alone
to stop speaking to or annoying someone:
Leave me alone! I'm trying to work.
Phrasal verbs
leave sb/sth behind
leave behind sth; leave sth behind
leave sth for/to sb
leave sb/sth out
be left over