1
as in dismissal
the termination of the employment of an employee or a work force often temporarily
even senior employees lost their jobs in the massive layoff
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in winter
a period of often involuntary inactivity or idleness
after such a long layoff the boxer badly needed to get back into shape
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to stop
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
you need to lay off eating those jelly doughnuts, or you'll end up looking like one
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 layoff
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 19 Feb. 2026
That could be a signal that the pace of layoffs is slowing.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
The company has been forced to jack up prices and lay off workers.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for layoff
Noun
After a series of layoffs and staff reductions, NBC News doesn’t have a lot of extra staff to allocate to new challenges.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 19 Feb. 2026
That could be a signal that the pace of layoffs is slowing.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Verb
In her conversations with small-business owners, Higgins learned that some have been forced to reduce staff or lay off employees because several of their workers were TPS beneficiaries or were in the process of regularizing their paperwork.
—Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
The company has been forced to jack up prices and lay off workers.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for layoff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layoff
Noun
-
The Supreme Court is sending the case back to the lower court for dismissal.—
Melissa Repko,Sara Salinas,
CNBC,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The Justice Department has appealed the dismissal of those prosecutions.—
JESSICA HILL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Here, interior designers share how to use lighting to beat mid-winter blues, which can be as simple as switching out a light bulb.—
Shagun Khare,
The Spruce,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Boston was running nearly 7 degrees Fahrenheit below average for February last week, and the city was on pace for its coldest winter in more than a decade.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Venezuela - once Cuba's top supplier - effectively stopped sending shipments in mid-December.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The government also stopped collecting and reporting crucial survey findings on transgender students — data that have shown higher rates of depression, drug use, bullying and other problems.—
Mike Stobbe,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The correct route onto the island, which is home to an MoD firing range, is via a barrier by QinetiQ’s security office.—
Lianne Kolirin,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
-
For Bill Self and others who follow Big 12 basketball, a rather quiet Sunday night was interrupted with the news of Jerome Tang’s firing as men’s basketball coach at Kansas State.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Fears made three three-pointers in the first half and Michigan State took a 43-23 lead into the break.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Fears made three 3-pointers in the first half and Michigan State took a 43-23 lead into the break.—
Daily News,
Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Paramount Skydance has also sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, making similar accusations, Variety reported over the weekend.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Oil imports from Venezuela have ceased since Washington toppled its leader last month, cutting Cuba’s main source of energy.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Her medical furlough was initially to be for three weeks, but her time out of prison lengthened, possibly on account of activists and Western powers pushing Iran to keep her free.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
While deep plane facelifts sweep Hollywood, there’s also a boom in non- and minimally-invasive treatments promising tighter, younger looking skin, sharper contours and a revitalized appearance, without the downtime required after going under the knife.—
Elycia Rubin,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
-
This new series for A Peace of My mind began during what Noltner thought would be downtime in his hometown.—
Derek James,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Layoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layoff. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
