1
: a period of inactivity or idleness
2
: the act of laying off an employee or a workforce
also
: shutdown
laid off; laying off; lays off
1
: to mark or measure off
2
: to cease to employ (a worker) often temporarily
3
of a bookie
: to place all or part of (an accepted bet) with another bookie to reduce the risk
1
: to stop doing or taking something
2
: to leave one alone
wish you'd just lay off
Examples of layoff in a Sentence
Noun
The company announced the layoff of several hundred employees.
More layoffs are expected at the factory later this year.
The band finally has a new album after a three year layoff.
a layoff of three years
Verb
you need to lay off eating those jelly doughnuts, or you'll end up looking like one
Recent Examples on the Web
The Npr Network, NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
The company also announced its first major layoffs in a decade and plans to cut 1,800 corporate jobs.
—Ashley Lutz, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
Stuart Dyos, Nashville Tennessean, 29 Oct. 2025
In her conversations with small-business owners, Higgins learned that some have been forced to reduce staff or lay off employees because several of their workers were TPS beneficiaries or were in the process of regularizing their paperwork.
—Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for layoff
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
At the same time, the administration is trying to use a new round of layoffs to gut multiple offices inside the department, including the Office for Civil Rights and the office responsible for overseeing special education, according to multiple sources within the department.
—The Npr Network, NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
The company also announced its first major layoffs in a decade and plans to cut 1,800 corporate jobs.
—Ashley Lutz, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
Additionally, Ultium Cells’ operations in Warren, Ohio will halt production similar to the Spring Hill plant, but will furlough 850 of its workers, and indefinitely lay off 550 employees.
—Stuart Dyos, Nashville Tennessean, 29 Oct. 2025
In her conversations with small-business owners, Higgins learned that some have been forced to reduce staff or lay off employees because several of their workers were TPS beneficiaries or were in the process of regularizing their paperwork.
—Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for layoff
Cite this Entry
“Layoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/layoff. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
layoff
1 of 2 noun
lay·off
ˈlā-ˌȯf 
1
: the act of laying off an employee or a work force
2
: a period during which there is no activity
lay off
2 of 2 verb(ˈ)lā-ˈȯf
1
: to mark or measure off
2
: to stop employing (a person) often temporarily
lay off workers
3
: to stop doing or taking something
lay off of that stuff
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