Definition of furloughnext
as in dismissal
the termination of the employment of an employee or a work force often temporarily the landscaping company usually has to put most of its personnel on furlough during the extremely slow winter months

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

furlough

2 of 2

verb

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of furlough
Noun
The district could be forced into hiring freezes, spending restrictions, furloughs, program reductions or massive midyear layoffs after students have already formed relationships with their teachers and support staff. Angel Gutierrez, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026 So Parker telephoned the base posing as the doctor of Adams’ supposedly ailing mother and talked the young soldier’s superiors into issuing an emergency furlough. Dan Kelly july 28, Kansas City Star, 28 July 2026
Verb
One North Texas owner says she's already had to furlough a large portion of her staff. Erin Jones, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2026 Life has ground to a halt, with classes suspended at many schools, workers furloughed to save energy, and flights from some places canceled because Cuba doesn’t have enough jet fuel for long-haul flights. Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for furlough
Recent Examples of Synonyms for furlough
Noun
  • That Penn State failed to use the long runway given with Franklin’s October dismissal didn’t help things.
    Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Iraola’s dismissal came as a surprise to a number of his players, although Catala, who later managed Larnaca, explains that there is a volatility to decision-making in Cyprus if form deteriorates.
    Andy Jones, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Over the past few months my wife has begun drinking to excess every evening.
    Amy Dickinson, Anchorage Daily News, 17 July 2023
  • You’ve been quoted as saying that that is really what the film is about — not so much drinking to excess as embracing the uncontrollable.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Apr. 2021
Verb
  • My conversation partner returned, somehow unable to bum even a single cigarette from anyone at this party.
    Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 July 2026
  • I'mPhaedra Trethan, bummed out to hear one of my favorite baseball announcers has been let go in a round of ESPN layoffs.
    Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 21 July 2026
Noun
  • The exposé alleged that Gomez was trying to distance herself from the company and outlined the messy firing of chief executive Daniella Pierson.
    Jack Dunn, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026
  • More than 10 individual firings, between 900-910°C, were needed to create the clock.
    Ming Liu, Robb Report, 15 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Corporations lay off workers en masse in hopes of replicating their labor with LLMs.
    Matthew Ismael Ruiz, Pitchfork, 26 June 2026
  • For Ali, a Tehrani technician who had to lay off his half a dozen workers, the economic situation isn’t theoretical.
    Kay Armin Serjoie, Time, 17 June 2026
Verb
  • The entire day felt dehumanizing, as if her nearly eight years with the company, her medical problems and her physical pain had been reduced to nothing more than malingering and scattered incidents of tardiness.
    Greg Jaffe, Anchorage Daily News, 18 June 2023
  • Goldstein, who did not return a message seeking comment, practices in Chicago and has lectured on the topic of malingering, according to a resume posted online.
    Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2023
Noun
  • Walter’s decision came less than three months after the Lakers conducted a series of layoffs in an effort to integrate the franchise into Walter’s organization.
    Law Murray, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The layoff toll in Weston is 181 people from staff-level employees such as clerks, drivers and analysts to upper-echelon executives including vice presidents and directors.
    David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Documents produced by two DHS whistleblowers in February showed that ICE had significantly scaled up its hiring while axing several screening and training protocols for officers.
    Connor Greene, Time, 12 Aug. 2026
  • On Thursday, Marvel axed the superhero comedy series, despite previously renewing it for a second season.
    Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 31 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Furlough.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/furlough. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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