Paid Leave: Meaning, Usage, and Examples

Meaning 1：Paid leave (Paid leave)

Paid leave 🔊

/peɪd liːv/

Time off from work when you still get your normal salary.

Paid leave 🔊

➕

/peɪd liːv/

Time off from work that is compensated with normal salary.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From 'paid' (past participle of pay) + 'leave' (time off), meaning compensated absence.

💡 Mnemonic

Think: 'Paid' = you get money while on 'leave' = time off. So you earn while you rest.

📖 Example

My colleague is on paid leave this week, so I’m covering some of her tasks. 🔊 My colleague is on paid leave this week, so I’m covering some of her tasks.

🔗 Collocations

take paid leave – to take time off with pay

be on paid leave – to be absent from work while receiving salary

eligible for paid leave – qualified to receive paid time off

🔄 Synonyms

paid time off (n.) – Time off from work for which an employee is paid.

paid vacation (n.) – Holiday time during which an employee receives regular pay.

🚫 Antonyms

unpaid leave (n.) – Time off from work without receiving salary.

📖 Cultural Story

Paid leave became a standard labor right through 20th-century workers' movements, ensuring employees receive income while resting.