sick leave

noun

1

: an absence from work permitted because of illness

2

: the number of days per year for which an employer agrees to pay employees who are sick

Examples of sick leave in a Sentence

employee benefits such as vacation time and sick leave

We are allotted three weeks annual sick leave.

He's been on sick leave since last Thursday.

Recent Examples on the Web

Listen to this article Richard Davis, the president of New York City’s largest transit worker union, TWU Local 100, has abruptly gone on sick leave — a move multiple sources say comes amid efforts to force the union boss from his job less than 3 weeks after his re-election. —Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 23 Jan. 2025

Shorter periods of sick leave are not as high but still make up almost half of the total amount–is France fast becoming the sick man of Europe? —Shawn Tully, Fortune Europe, 10 Oct. 2024

Michigan lawmakers are working against the clock to make adjustments to tipped wages and paid sick leave after a court decision set the state laws to change drastically next month. —Jack Birle, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 27 Jan. 2025

The credit equals 100% of up to two weeks (to a maximum of 80 hours) of the qualified sick leave wages and up to 12 weeks of the qualified family leave wages that an employer paid for employers who took leave. —Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1820, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

sick leave

noun

1

: an absence from work permitted because of illness

2

: the number of days per year for which an employer agrees to pay employees who are sick