Definition

Military-approved vacation time, because apparently 'vacation' sounds too leisurely for people trained to jump out of airplanes. Earned through service and granted at command's discretion, it's the carrot that keeps soldiers from going AWOL. Comes in various flavors including emergency leave, convalescent leave, and the mythical 'approved leave' that somehow never gets approved before holidays.

Example Usage

After six months deployed, Sergeant Martinez finally got his leave approved and immediately booked a flight as far from anything military as possible.

Source: Military personnel terminology

Related Terms

Intermediate

field grade

Officers ranking Major through Colonel (O-4 to O-6), so called because they historically commanded field formations. Also used as an adjective to describe mistakes so catastrophic they could end a field grade officer's career.

🎖️ Military / Defense
Beginner

cherry

A new and inexperienced service member who hasn't seen combat or completed their first deployment. Still believes the stories about military intelligence not being an oxymoron.

🎖️ Military / Defense
Intermediate

mole

Not the furry tunnel-digger, but a spy who burrows deep into an organization to gather intelligence from within. This double agent plays the long game, establishing cover so convincing that even their own mother might forget which side they're really on. Named after the animal because both prefer working underground and ruining otherwise pristine landscapes.

🎖️ Military / Defense
Beginner

Intel

Short for intelligence — information about the enemy or a situation. Not to be confused with the chip manufacturer, although both involve a lot of processing and occasionally overheat. The quality varies wildly from 'game-changing' to 'my cousin's friend heard something.'

🎖️ Military / Defense
Beginner

smoke session

An intense, often punitive physical training session designed to exhaust and discipline soldiers. Has nothing to do with tobacco and everything to do with suffering.

🎖️ Military / Defense
Beginner

fort

A fortified military installation where troops are stationed, basically a heavily armed neighborhood with strict HOA rules. These permanent structures range from frontier outposts to massive defensive complexes, designed to keep the good guys in and the bad guys out. The original gated community, but with cannons.

🎖️ Military / Defense

Translate This Term

See “leave” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on XShare on FacebookShare on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Advanced

wickets

Mission planning checkpoints or milestones that must be met before proceeding to the next phase of an operation. Like wa...