layoff 1 of 2

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

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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

lay off

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 layoff
Noun
Other surveys, such as a layoffs report from outsourcing and placement services firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas, is sometimes instructive but far less robust than the BLS report. David Goldman, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025 Chura-Smith said the layoffs were a separate budget decision that responded to challenging conditions across the nation's health care system. Dan Horn, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
Saks Fulfillment Center in Rutherford County, 446 workers A Saks Fifth Avenue distribution center in La Vergne will permanently close this year and lay off 446 workers, a WARN notice said. Molly Davis, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025 Intel also plans to lay off 15 percent of its workforce this year. Lauren Goode, Wired News, 21 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for layoff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layoff
Noun
  • Wilcox challenged the dismissal.
    Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The hammer blow was last week's dismissal by the Constitutional Court of Thaksin's daughter and protege Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the sixth prime minister from or backed by the Shinawatra family to be removed by the military or judiciary.
    Panarat Thepgumpanat, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Wildfires are burning earlier and hotter out West, violent wind storms are snapping lines across the interior, and winter’s ice and snow aren’t far behind.
    Jennifer Jolly, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Efforts to reduce spending in other areas have fallen flat, with a number of Labour Party lawmakers opposing cuts to welfare spending and winter fuel payments for pensioners.
    Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Fall weather isn't stopping the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) as its crews are set to begin a number of construction work across the state.
    Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Good Fortune follows Reeves as an angel, Gabriel, tasked by his boss, Martha (Sandra Oh), with stopping humans from dying while texting and driving.
    Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In reasoning about the mass firings, both Silicon Valley giants claimed the need to streamline human operations and invest more in AI.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2025
  • The corporations aren’t explaining the mass firings, but industry analysts say the goal is to channel money away from safety and toward developing products and profits.
    James Barrat, Big Think, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • City may well have believed that a summer break would cure their ails and time would simply consign last season’s mid-season collapse to room 101, but the rest of the league does not forget.
    Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2025
  • Fox added a 14-yard TD run later in the first half, and Maxwell Lovett scored on a 26-yard reverse to put Creek ahead 21-9 at the break.
    Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The ripple effects from the pandemic did not cease with this declaration, and the impact of COVID-19 reverberated throughout college mental health.
    Eric Wood, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
  • As compared to solar power, which ceases production at night, or wind power, which is dependent on weather conditions, the sea is in constant motion.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Chapman weathered the pandemic without layoffs, furloughs or cuts to salaries and benefits, Struppa said.
    Hanna Kang, Oc Register, 31 Aug. 2025
  • Late 2024 – Early 2025 – The airline cuts jobs, furloughs pilots, sells aircraft, and rejects a Frontier merger offer while trying to stabilize.
    Will McGough, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Salmon sperm, or PDRN, is known for its ability to deeply penetrate the skin without compromising the skin barrier or requiring downtime, delivering visible improvements in lifting, toning, and hydration.
    Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
  • In your downtime, watch the same show, cook the same meal, listen to the same podcast or read the same book and then chat about it.
    Anna Pulley, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Layoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layoff. Accessed 7 Sep. 2025.

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