furloughs 1 of 2

Definition of furloughsnext
plural of furlough
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

furloughs

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of furlough

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 furloughs
Noun
Federal lawmakers are trying to avoid another closure that would lead to furloughs of thousands of federal workers and a pause in some government operations. Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2026 With companies feeling the squeeze of high rates and weaker consumption, Russian data show unpaid wages nearly tripled in October from a year ago to more than $27 million, with the Post adding that furloughs and shorter workweeks are also becoming more common. Jason Ma, Fortune, 27 Dec. 2025 Of course, this year has thrown financial curveballs at many of us, from layoffs to government furloughs, to still-high prices. Jill Schlesinger, Mercury News, 1 Dec. 2025 Over her nearly two decades in the civil service, Walls noted the state has taken various measures to reduce payroll costs, including furloughs and restructuring retirement benefits. William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 26 Nov. 2025 According to the note, WGA never had furloughs or pay cuts in its 12-year history prior to the current grounding. Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 26 Nov. 2025 In addition to staff furloughs and suspended or canceled programs, the 2018-2019 shutdown resulted in a loss of some $5 billion, according to the American Alliance of Museums. Elizabeth Blair, NPR, 13 Nov. 2025 Members of Congress remain on the payroll, a practice that has drawn criticism amid widespread furloughs. Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025 The latest Cash-Cole project is collecting food to feed food-insecure families, a number that has been growing lately with federal government furloughs and reductions in food stamps benefits. Nashville Tennessean, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for furloughs
Noun
  • Finances could bear the early dismissals, too.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Cowdin describes more subtle—but no less damaging—dismissals.
    Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 6 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Medical associations sued to challenge Kennedy’s changes to COVID vaccine guidance and ACIP firings last year on these grounds.
    Grayson Logue, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2026
  • The end of the NFL regular season has brought the annual slew of head coach firings.
    Chris Vannini, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The future looks complicated after recent layoffs saw the departure of key executives overseeing creative relationships.
    Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Double the percentage of supply chain managers (32%) are reporting layoffs as compared to April (16%), according to a new survey conducted by the Association for Supply Chain Management and CNBC.
    Lori Ann LaRocco, CNBC, 12 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • When Moon abruptly retires, the narrator goes to Korea to find him.
    Erin Somers, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Officials are also working to hire a new human resources director to succeed Susan Brazeau, who retires in March.
    Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • The cranky and irritating backseat driver, who bums a lift midway through the Griswolds' adventure, also has with her the easily excitable pooch Dinky.
    Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • After a very chilly start to the day, with many spots in North Texas dipping into the 20s during the morning, our southerly flow kicks back in, which will lead to a steady warming trend over the next several days.
    McKenna King, CBS News, 15 Dec. 2025
  • Additionally, Zendaya's Rue Bennett sits in church pews, Schafer's Jules Vaughn kicks back in an art studio and Apatow's Lexi Howard appears to be in the same location as Demie's Perez.
    Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Furloughs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/furloughs. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.

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