LAYOFFS Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

layoffs

noun

plural of layoff

as in dismissals

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in winters

a period of often involuntary inactivity or idleness after such a long layoff the boxer badly needed to get back into shape

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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 layoffs Thursday’s layoffs data showed that the four-week moving average of jobless claims, which softens some of the week-to-week swings, fell by 3,750 to 218,750. — ABC News, 9 July 2026 Such notices are required by federal law during mass layoffs. — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 9 July 2026 Not the layoffs, the mergers, the rampant unemployment, and the fear that comes with it — all of that and more unreservedly sucks. — Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 9 July 2026 Fourteen years later, the district has gone through layoffs, school closures and unstable leadership. — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026 Fresh off news of yet another round of layoffs, the folks in Redmond are reportedly looking at all that Anthropic and OpenAI integration in Excel and Outlook and thinking, well, why not use the homegrown stuff that’s free? — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 8 July 2026 At the same time the chip industry expects to see a worker shortfall, the AI boom — and companies’ rush to invest in it — has also been blamed for layoffs in other parts of the labor market, including in the tech industry. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 8 July 2026 Volkswagen's decision to weigh layoffs and plant closures has also been met with stiff opposition from Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition government, which is grappling with historically low approval ratings. — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 2 July 2026 Despite widespread tech layoffs attributed to AI, research indicates these cuts often yield no financial improvement, with many firms expected to reverse course. — Gabriel Alin Zainescu, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for layoffs

Noun

That led to a number of dismissals, including coach Massimiliano Allegri.

— ABC News, ABC News, 26 June 2026
What is particularly concerning about these firings is the effect the dismissals will have on the officer ranks.

— William H. McRaven, The Atlantic, 25 June 2026

Definition of dismissals

Noun

During snowy winters, the road can remain closed for weeks, and on a rainy day like this one, landslides can block the highway without warning.

— Aakash Hassan, Christian Science Monitor, 8 July 2026
Scientists say a powerful El Niño is developing now, raising chances of wetter winters in parts of the South and drier, warmer conditions across sections of the North.

— Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 7 July 2026

Definition of winters

Noun

The Justice Department did not respond to questions about the firings.

— Mica Rosenberg, ProPublica, 6 July 2026
Such blindsiding firings aren't limited to struggling employees; experienced professionals and executives are also abruptly dismissed due to shifting business priorities, restructuring, or leadership changes.

— Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026

Definition of firings

Noun

When everyone from operators to engineers and managers are able to discuss yields, downtimes, reworks and even traceability in terms of factual data, discussions can become significantly more fruitful.

— Ihor Yurchenko, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
The average response time for phone calls dropped to 6 minutes from 30 minutes in the prior fiscal year; field office wait times decreased to 23 minutes; and removal of online service downtimes has benefited an additional 125,000 users in a single week, according to the agency's findings.

— Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025

Definition of downtimes

Noun

Police, firefighters, paramedics, and 911 employees are exempt from the furloughs.

— Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 30 June 2026
The savings the city will get from the unpaid worker furloughs during the first year of the deal — the new fiscal year starting July 1 — nearly covers the cost of the 2% raises and other benefits employees get that first year.

— David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2026

Definition of furloughs

Noun

Since their relationship became public in 2023, the couple has squeezed romance into tour schedules, football obligations and rare breaks from two of the most demanding careers in entertainment and sports.

— Bryan West, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Haverhill installed a second bypass line to help better control the flow of sewage after two breaks and a massive sewage overflow for five days last week, helping secure the system as more rains threatened the temporary bypass Tuesday.

— Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 7 July 2026

Definition of breaks

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lay off (of)

layoffs

lay on

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“Layoffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layoffs. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of layoffs

noun

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