as in dismissals
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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1
as in excesses
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2
as in truants
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Recent Examples of furloughs
Sean Garcia Leys, Oc Register, 27 Mar. 2026
The furloughs were part of a slew of measures taken to try to help bridge the deficit gap.
—Brian Maass, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
The airline also instituted furloughs and job cuts before its first bankruptcy filing.
—ABC News, 24 Feb. 2026
The School Board is also discussing the possibility of furloughs, which could take effect earlier than June 30.
—Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2026
But other parts of the department, including the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office and significant parts of the cybersecurity and election-infrastructure offices, face furloughs, according to a person briefed on the plans.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
Stephanie Ryder At the University of Washington, a top public university for biomedical research that relies on NIH money, administrators last year implemented a hiring freeze, travel restrictions and furloughs.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 4 Feb. 2026
But the memo said that 18,946 of the department’s 27,206 direct hire American employees are exempted from potential furloughs if the shutdown continues.
—Meg Kinnard, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Russian data show unpaid wages nearly tripled in October from a year ago to more than $27 million, with furloughs and shorter workweeks becoming more common.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 18 Jan. 2026
Noun
That is why programs allowing supervised or monitored furloughs exist.
—Sean Garcia Leys, Oc Register, 27 Mar. 2026
The furloughs were part of a slew of measures taken to try to help bridge the deficit gap.
—Brian Maass, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
The airline also instituted furloughs and job cuts before its first bankruptcy filing.
—ABC News, 24 Feb. 2026
The School Board is also discussing the possibility of furloughs, which could take effect earlier than June 30.
—Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2026
But other parts of the department, including the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office and significant parts of the cybersecurity and election-infrastructure offices, face furloughs, according to a person briefed on the plans.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
Stephanie Ryder At the University of Washington, a top public university for biomedical research that relies on NIH money, administrators last year implemented a hiring freeze, travel restrictions and furloughs.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 4 Feb. 2026
But the memo said that 18,946 of the department’s 27,206 direct hire American employees are exempted from potential furloughs if the shutdown continues.
—Meg Kinnard, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026
Russian data show unpaid wages nearly tripled in October from a year ago to more than $27 million, with furloughs and shorter workweeks becoming more common.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 18 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for furloughs
Noun
-
At the same time, China’s appetite for conflict has likely been dampened by struggles to support its slowing domestic economy, as well as a string of dismissals in the top echelons of its own military.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The same dismissals and insults.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This is a path that flies Orion to lunar space on a direct path back to Earth to avoid the need for any major firings of the spacecraft's engine after its translunar injection burn that will put it on a course for the moon.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
27 Mar. 2026
-
In these latest cuts, some of the other firings were in sales, recruiting, and Facebook, signaling that Zuckerberg is separating the chaff in non-AI related units beyond its flailing Metaverse division.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Baked goods and snacks manufacturer Maker’s Pride notified the state of mass layoffs at its Boise factory next to the Boise Factory Outlet near Interstate 84.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Consumer spending, which accounts for about two-thirds of the US economy, is more influenced by the state of the labor market; specifically, whether layoffs are rising more than usual or not.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The movie follows Lee Byung-hun (Squid Game) as Yoo Man-su, a man who is fired from his job at a paper manufacturing company after an American company buys out his company and downsizes.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
-
His loving, pragmatic wife, Mi-ri (Son Ye-jin), gamely downsizes their middle-class life to fit their new reality — but her resoluteness only exacerbates his despair.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The passed by Republicans last month axes the credits for projects that don’t begin producing electricity by 2028.—
Rachel Frazin,
The Hill,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Pairing up Horse mounted patrol officers are trained to be able to ride any horse within their unit, but they’re paired with one in particular, until the animal retires.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
-
With some help from the Aggies defense, Peters retires three straight batters and boasts two straight strikeouts.—
Zoe Collins Rath,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Critical thinking really bums them out.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Then Jason and Thor shower together, each lathering the other’s back and bums up with fewer orgasms than an old Herbal Essences commercial.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That’s because if a patient can’t pay or an insurer kicks back a claim, a small practice in a rural area can be on the hook for tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.—
Caleb Hellerman,
CNN Money,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Kutsenko, 31, steps outside into the freezing night, switches on a large rectangular generator and the power kicks back in.—
Kamila Hrabchuk,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Furloughs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/furloughs. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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