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
Zaheer Kachwala and Aditya Soni, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
A lot of the groundwork for this run was put in during Hartman’s nearly month-long suspension layoff.
—Joe Smith, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 20 Apr. 2025
Thousands of federal workers have been laid off or issued immediate termination notifications as part of Trump and Musk’s plan to downsize the government.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for layoff
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
More tech industry news: Intel CEO alludes to layoffs as tech giant loses $821 million in Q1Need a break?
—Zaheer Kachwala and Aditya Soni, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
A lot of the groundwork for this run was put in during Hartman’s nearly month-long suspension layoff.
—Joe Smith, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Verb
In September 2024, Kerry was laid off from his job, causing the couple to reevaluate their roles around the house.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 20 Apr. 2025
Thousands of federal workers have been laid off or issued immediate termination notifications as part of Trump and Musk’s plan to downsize the government.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 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 5 May. 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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