sab ‧ bat ‧ i ‧ cal /səˈbætɪk ə l/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable and countable]
a period when someone, especially someone in a university job, stops doing their usual work in order to study or travel:
She took a long sabbatical.
on sabbatical
Dr Watson’s away on sabbatical.
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THESAURUS
▪ vacation especially American English , holiday especially British English time you spend away from school or work:
Are you taking a vacation this summer?
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We met on holiday in Cyprus.
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What are you doing in the school holidays?
▪ holiday a day that is set by law, when no one has to go to work or school:
the Thanksgiving holiday
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New Year's Day is a national holiday.
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In 2002, there was an extra public holiday to mark the Queen's golden jubilee.
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the August bank holiday (=day when all the banks and shops are closed – used in British English)
▪ break a time when you stop working or studying in order to rest, or a short vacation from school:
a ten-minute coffee break
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Lots of college kids come to the beaches during the spring break.
▪ leave a time when you are allowed not to work:
We get four weeks' annual leave (=paid time off work each year) .
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He has been taking a lot of sick leave (=time off work because you are ill) recently.
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Angela is on maternity leave (= time off work when having a baby) .
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He was given compassionate leave (=time off work because someone close to you has died, is very ill etc) to go to his father's funeral.
▪ sabbatical [usually singular] a period when someone, especially a teacher, stops doing their usual work in order to study or travel:
She was on sabbatical for six months.
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I'm thinking of taking a sabbatical.
▪ furlough a period of time when a soldier or someone working in another country can return to their own country as a holiday:
While on furlough, he and his girlfriend got married.
▪ R & R (rest and relaxation) a holiday, especially one given to people in the army, navy etc after a long period of hard work or during a war:
Soldiers in Vietnam were taken to Hawaii for R & R.