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
Synonyms
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
Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2023
Only days after announcing its lofty goal, however, Amazon also confirmed a significant number of layoffs within its Prime Air workforce.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 7 Sep. 2023
Many have had rounds of layoffs, while others have delisted from exchanges or canceled plans for initial public offerings.
—James Rundle, WSJ, 6 Sep. 2023
This is Roku’s third round of layoffs in under a year.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 6 Sep. 2023
This follows two other rounds of layoffs that each affected 200 employees — one last November and the other in March.
—Chris Welch, The Verge, 6 Sep. 2023
Union officials say the deal between Kroger, the parent company of Fred Meyer, and Albertsons, parent of Carrs Safeway, could lead to store shutdowns and hundreds of layoffs at two of the top employers in Alaska, plus lower wages and job standards.
—Alex Demarban, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Sep. 2023
Earlier this year, the platform—which lists over 30 million positions in more than 60 countries—conducted its first-ever round of layoffs since its launch in 2004.
—Byorianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 1 Sep. 2023
The cuts follows a similar-sized layoff at the Cambridge company in January.
—Aaron Pressman, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Aug. 2023
Max Zahn, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2023
To make matters worse, she was unexpectedly laid off from her job not long after.
—Alejandra Campoverdi, Vogue, 15 Sep. 2023
Jason Vinson, 42, a forklift driver, started as a temporary worker in 2007 making about $17 an hour, then worked his way up to $25 until he was laid off.
—Neal E. Boudette Brittany Greeson, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2023
Congress created the tax credit in March 2020, hoping that a quick infusion of money for businesses that were struggling due to the pandemic would prevent them from laying off workers.
—Julie Zauzmer Weil, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2023
Nielsen laid off about 9% of its staff earlier this month.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 14 Sep. 2023
Gannett, which owns daily newspapers across the nation, has laid off hundreds of staffers and shuttered entire publications in some communities, creating more news deserts.
—Jonah Valdez, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023
Restaurants and tour companies are laying off workers and unemployment is surging.
—Audrey McAvoy and Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2023
Roku is laying off another 10 percent of its staff and taking charges for additional restructuring moves, the company unveiled in a regulatory filing Wednesday.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Sep. 2023
See More
Noun
This is the third round of layoffs from Roku in recent months after the company let go of about 400 employees total between November and March.
—Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2023
Only days after announcing its lofty goal, however, Amazon also confirmed a significant number of layoffs within its Prime Air workforce.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 7 Sep. 2023
Many have had rounds of layoffs, while others have delisted from exchanges or canceled plans for initial public offerings.
—James Rundle, WSJ, 6 Sep. 2023
This is Roku’s third round of layoffs in under a year.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 6 Sep. 2023
This follows two other rounds of layoffs that each affected 200 employees — one last November and the other in March.
—Chris Welch, The Verge, 6 Sep. 2023
Union officials say the deal between Kroger, the parent company of Fred Meyer, and Albertsons, parent of Carrs Safeway, could lead to store shutdowns and hundreds of layoffs at two of the top employers in Alaska, plus lower wages and job standards.
—Alex Demarban, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Sep. 2023
Earlier this year, the platform—which lists over 30 million positions in more than 60 countries—conducted its first-ever round of layoffs since its launch in 2004.
—Byorianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 1 Sep. 2023
The cuts follows a similar-sized layoff at the Cambridge company in January.
—Aaron Pressman, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Aug. 2023
Verb
On Friday, Ford laid off 600 workers who assemble cars at a plant in Michigan, the company told ABC News in a statement.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2023
To make matters worse, she was unexpectedly laid off from her job not long after.
—Alejandra Campoverdi, Vogue, 15 Sep. 2023
Jason Vinson, 42, a forklift driver, started as a temporary worker in 2007 making about $17 an hour, then worked his way up to $25 until he was laid off.
—Neal E. Boudette Brittany Greeson, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2023
Congress created the tax credit in March 2020, hoping that a quick infusion of money for businesses that were struggling due to the pandemic would prevent them from laying off workers.
—Julie Zauzmer Weil, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2023
Nielsen laid off about 9% of its staff earlier this month.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 14 Sep. 2023
Gannett, which owns daily newspapers across the nation, has laid off hundreds of staffers and shuttered entire publications in some communities, creating more news deserts.
—Jonah Valdez, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023
Restaurants and tour companies are laying off workers and unemployment is surging.
—Audrey McAvoy and Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2023
Roku is laying off another 10 percent of its staff and taking charges for additional restructuring moves, the company unveiled in a regulatory filing Wednesday.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'layoff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Noun
1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1748, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Articles Related to layoff
Dictionary Entries Near layoff
Cite this Entry
“Layoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/layoff. Accessed 21 Sep. 2023.
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Kids 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
More from Merriam-Webster on layoff
Nglish: Translation of layoff for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of layoff for Arabic Speakers
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