Obtained leave for a short time (3)
I believe the answer is:
got
'obtained' is the definition.
('get' can be a synonym of 'obtain')
'leave for a short time' is the wordplay.
'leave' becomes 'go' (to go is to depart or leave).
'for' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'a short time' becomes 't' (abbreviation for time).
'go'+'t'='GOT'
(Other definitions for got that I've seen before include "Obtained" , "Received; understood" , "Caught" , "came by" , "Landed" .)