layoffs

noun

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 institution had been plagued by declining enrollment and budget deficits which resulted in staff layoffs, culminating in Vanderbilt’s purchase of the institution early this year. — News Desk, Artforum, 23 July 2026 While significant layoffs swept ESPN, the article dismisses speculation that high-profile contracts, such as Pat McAfee's, were the direct cause of Ravech's unexpected departure. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 The unit, which Amazon recently reorganized to unify Luna and its game studios, has struggled to produce big hits, faced executive turnover and undergone several rounds of layoffs. — Jordan Novet,annie Palmer, CNBC, 23 July 2026 Budget cuts have led to massive layoffs at the USDA, CDC, and FDA. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 23 July 2026 That realization is hitting many companies that conducted large-scale layoffs. — Paul Keary, Fortune, 23 July 2026 Twenty-two percent of chief financial officers surveyed by Mercer in February said the high price of health benefits had forced them to stop hiring or led to layoffs. — Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026 That’s partly due to low layoffs and a still-solid labor market, though low-income households are feeling the pain of price hikes and mounting debt more so than their high-income counterparts, who have benefited from a resilient stock market. — Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 16 July 2026 Menlo Park social media giant Meta is accused in a lawsuit filed this week of using artificial intelligence to target employees for layoffs who had taken medical, disability or maternity leave. — Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 15 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layoffs
  1. dismissals
  2. winters
  3. firings
  4. downtimes
  5. furloughs
  6. lulls
  7. breaks
Noun
  • Other states including New Mexico and West Virginia also recently won dismissals of lawsuits seeking their voter rolls as well, as states push back against federal lawsuits, according to the Associated Press.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2026
  • That led to a number of dismissals, including coach Massimiliano Allegri.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 June 2026
Definition of dismissals
Noun
  • Plant explorer and botanist David Fairchild, namesake of Miami’s premier botanical garden, believed the tree was too cold-sensitive to survive South Florida’s winters.
    — Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
  • Deterrence in this decade will be counted in megawatts as well as divisions, and Europe does not get unlimited winters to learn this lesson.
    — John Kerry, semafor.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of winters
Noun
  • Such a timeline seems plausible, as Russian officials have previously disclosed that the RD-0169A rocket engine intended to power the Amur rocket is in the preliminary stages of test firings.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 17 July 2026
  • The hearing arrived at a tumultuous time for the Justice Department, with mass firings and resignations hollowing out the workforce and Democrats and other critics raising alarms that Blanche is still functioning as the president’s personal lawyer.
    — Eric Tucker, Fortune, 15 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
  • Parties have exploited lulls in fighting to buy time, rebuild capabilities and consolidate political or territorial gains ahead of the next round of conflict.
    — Anthony Wanis-St John, The Conversation, 10 July 2026
  • Getty Images There are lulls on the PGA Tour calendar, and this is one of those heading into the John Deere Classic this weekend.
    — Jeff Hartman, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of lulls
Noun
  • Suarez has said his plan would also mark a departure from what’s become common practice on the Beach for new construction where developers request variances and other breaks for projects.
    — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
  • First, get rid of the hydration breaks; just go to a true quarters system.
    — The Athletic UK Staff, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of breaks

Browse Nearby Words

lay off (of)
layoffs
lay on
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Cite this Entry

“Layoffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layoffs. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of layoffs for Spanish Speakers

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