Career break: meaning, definitions and examples

A career break is usually taken by someone who wants to take an extended period away from their job, often to travel, take care of family, or pursue personal interests. This term is commonly used in professional settings.

• After working for ten years in finance, she decided to take a career break to travel the world.
• He took a career break to spend more time with his young children.

A sabbatical is a paid or unpaid break from work that professionals, such as academics and researchers, often take to study, write, or travel. This term is commonly used in academic and research settings.

• Professor Smith is on a sabbatical to write her new book on climate change.
• He was granted a sabbatical to conduct research in Europe for a year.

A leave of absence is typically a formal request for time away from work that can be granted by an employer for reasons such as health issues, personal matters, or educational purposes. It's often used in more formal or bureaucratic contexts.

• She requested a leave of absence to recover from surgery.
• Due to personal reasons, he asked for a leave of absence from his teaching job.

Time off is a general term that refers to any period when someone is not working, often for resting or taking a short break. It can be used in both casual and formal settings.

• I'm taking some time off next week to go hiking.
• She decided to take time off to recharge after a busy project.

This term is often used when someone takes an extended period off work, usually lasting several months to a few years, to pursue other interests, to rest, or to take care of personal matters.

• She decided to take a career break to travel around the world
• After working non-stop for ten years, he thought it was time for a career break to spend more time with his family

Intermission is typically used in the context of performances or events to describe a break between parts of the event, usually to allow the audience to rest or refresh themselves.

• There was a brief intermission between the first and second acts of the play
• The concert had a 15-minute intermission halfway through

Often used in sports or informal situations when someone needs to take a short break for rest or to address something urgent. It can also imply a need to calm down, especially for children.

• The coach called a time out to discuss the next strategy with the team
• She needed a time out to relax after a stressful meeting

This term is used for a short break to rest and recover, often during a workday or after a strenuous activity.

• Let's take a breather before we continue with the next part of the project
• After running for five miles, John decided to take a breather