layoffs

plural of layoff
1
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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2
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 The layoffs to the special education office, affecting 121 employees, would primarily alter the ability of the department to conduct oversight of how the money is spent. Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2025 Instead, Trump’s popularity on the economy has remained low amid a mix of tariffs, federal worker layoffs and partisan sniping that has culminated in a government shutdown. Jason Ma, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2025 Yet unlike furloughs, which typically leave workers off the job without pay during shutdowns, layoffs are permanent. Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 19 Oct. 2025 Previously, the company had been targeting layoffs by early November. Todd Spangler, Variety, 18 Oct. 2025 And what's going on with the layoffs at the Jet Propulsion Lab? Space.com Staff, Space.com, 18 Oct. 2025 The surf industry has seen struggles in recent years with store closures and layoffs seen among bigger brands. Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 18 Oct. 2025 Denver’s budget crisis has caused layoffs for city workers and has begun affecting services for residents. Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 18 Oct. 2025 Some 112 of these layoffs will impact the Charlotte region, according to the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Charlotte Observer, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layoffs
Noun
  • Commissioners Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya have challenged their dismissals as unlawful.
    Bart Jansen, USA Today, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Former agency employees doubted the administration’s claim that some dismissals were caused by coding errors.
    Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • In Ohio, La Niña winters often bring colder conditions, especially in northern and eastern parts of the state.
    Brandi D. Addison, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Oct. 2025
  • The optimal depth for mulch is 2 to 4 inches, depending on how harsh winters are in your area.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Trade unions are few and attempts to organize are met with threats, firings and, in some cases, violence, the workers said.
    Ladan Anoushfar, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
  • During the McCarthy era, firings came by memo, not trial.
    Alexis Coe, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • 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
Noun
  • As the government shutdown nears the two-week mark, several federal agencies, including the Social Security Administration (SSA), remain impacted by furloughs and cannot operate as usual.
    Melina Khan, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
  • The protests come during a federal government shutdown which has triggered layoffs, furloughs and pay withheld for federal workers, and traffic delays at some airports .
    Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • For instance, why did the offense experience so many extended lulls against opposing bullpens (even as, in another contradiction, its overall performance against bullpens was in line with 2024)?
    Will Sammon, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
  • The bursts of action punctuate these lulls and sync perfectly with the intro song, Shortchange Hero (by The Heavy).
    G Kirilloff, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The rest of the population should reduce long or intense activities, and take more breaks during outdoor activities, according to the agency.
    Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Surf enthusiasts can ride one of Indonesia's most famous waves, Occy’s Left, or book surf excursions that take them to multiple breaks.
    Katie Lockhart, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Layoffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layoffs. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

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