Phrase guide

parental leave

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A leave of absence from a job for a parent to take care of a baby.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • Both my husband and I are on a 3-month parental leave while we look after our newborn baby.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: family leave

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 產假 /产假 (chǎnjià) — leave of absence for a parent to take care of a baby
  • Chinese Mandarin: 育嬰假 /育婴假 (yùyīngjià) — leave of absence for a parent to take care of a baby
  • Danish: barsel — leave of absence for a parent to take care of a baby
  • Dutch: ouderschapsverlof — leave of absence for a parent to take care of a baby
  • Estonian: vanemapuhkus — leave of absence for a parent to take care of a baby
  • Finnish: vanhempainvapaa — leave of absence for a parent to take care of a baby
  • French: congé parental — leave of absence for a parent to take care of a baby
  • German: Elternzeit — leave of absence for a parent to take care of a baby
  • Italian: congedo parentale — leave of absence for a parent to take care of a baby
  • Japanese: 育児休業 (ikuji kyūgyō) — leave of absence for a parent to take care of a baby
  • Polish: urlop rodzicielski — leave of absence for a parent to take care of a baby
  • Russian: декре́тный о́тпуск (dekrétnyj ótpusk) — leave of absence for a parent to take care of a baby
  • Russian: о́тпуск по ухо́ду за ребёнком (ótpusk po uxódu za rebjónkom) — leave of absence for a parent to take care of a baby
  • Russian: роди́тельский о́тпуск (rodítelʹskij ótpusk) — leave of absence for a parent to take care of a baby
  • Russian: о́тпуск по бере́менности и ро́дам (ótpusk po berémennosti i ródam) — leave of absence for a parent to take care of a baby
  • Spanish: permiso parental — leave of absence for a parent to take care of a baby
  • Spanish: excedencia parental — leave of absence for a parent to take care of a baby
  • Spanish: diábetes parental — leave of absence for a parent to take care of a baby
  • Swedish: föräldraledighet — leave of absence for a parent to take care of a baby