furlough
to suspend someone from work
TRANSLATION
furlough = beurlauben, vorübergehend entlassen, zeitweise freistellen, in Kurzarbeit schicken, befristet entlassen, auf unbestimmte Zeit freistellen
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Radio Free Asia set to FURLOUGH most US-based staff due to government funding freeze. Financial support suspension pushes government-funded broadcaster toward “skeleton staff” operations.
Phelim Kine — Politico (14th March 2025)
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“Government Shutdown 2025? Here's What We Know So Far. A shutdown could impact millions of Americans. Federal workers would be FURLOUGHED and not receive pay, while nonessential government functions would be put on pause.”
Andrew Stanton — Newsweek (10th March 2025)
Did you
know?
furlough
verb
- to put (a worker) on furlough: to lay off (a worker) for usually a brief or temporary period
- to tell workers not to come to work for a period of time, usually because there is not enough money to pay them
Merriam-Webster, Oxford Learner’s Dictionary
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ORIGIN
The word "furlough" has a fascinating military origin that traces back through several languages:
- Dutch: verlof (permission, leave)
- Middle Dutch: vorlof
- Old Dutch: forlof
- Germanic roots: fora- (before, in front of) + laub (permission, belief)
The word entered English in the 17th century through military contexts, borrowed from Dutch verlof. The Dutch had extensive military and naval operations, and English speakers adopted their term for temporary military leave.
Originally, "furlough" specifically meant temporary leave granted to soldiers. During the American Civil War, it became common in American English. The meaning later expanded to include:
- Temporary unpaid leave from civilian jobs
- Mandatory time off during economic downturns
- Prison temporary release programs
The word gained renewed prominence during the 2008 financial crisis and COVID-19 pandemic when many workers were "furloughed" rather than permanently laid off, maintaining the core meaning of temporary absence with expectation of return.
The word essentially means "permission given beforehand" - capturing the idea of authorized temporary departure.
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SYNONYMS
cut staff, discharge (temporarily), dismiss (for now), downsize, ease out, excuse from duty, force unpaid leave, FURLOUGH, give the heave-ho (the pink slip, walking papers), halt work, have s/o stand down, lay off, let go (for now), make redundant, mothball, pause employment, place on leave, put on the bench (the shelf), put out to pasture, reduce headcount, release from duty, shelve the position, suspend, temporarily discharge, trim the workforce, unassign
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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation, say something like:
“Companies may soon be forced to FURLOUGH many workers as a result of AI taking over previously secure jobs.”
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