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 pursuit of greater efficiency has also been applied to the company’s workforce, which has undergone recent layoffs. — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026 Meta completed one round of layoffs in May (about 8,000 people), then quietly shelved the bigger second wave. — Lydia Zhang, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026 That has included multiple rounds of layoffs; shutdown of print editions of magazines including Self and Teen Vogue; and folding music site Pitchfork into GQ. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026 Her departure is not related to a round of layoffs that hit Disney this week; those cuts came primarily in the company’s tech and human resources departments. — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026 This follows the recent layoffs affecting Kohner’s three talent agents. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026 Some reductions have continued, including layoffs at the Viterbi School of Engineering this month. — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026 The team’s cost-cutting measures, which included more than 400 layoffs, helped the club post a $30 million operating profit, versus a loss of $24 million in the year prior. — Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 23 Sep. 2026 That is not a blanket promise against layoffs, and any agreed upon coverage, exceptions, processes, and remedies remain largely unclear. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layoffs
  1. dismissals
  2. winters
  3. firings
  4. downtimes
  5. furloughs
  6. lulls
  7. breaks
Noun
  • Multiple criminal cases had involved Berlusconi, but most ended in dismissals.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The dismissals ended the corruption review, which was in its early stages.
    — William Turton, ProPublica, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of dismissals
Noun
  • The couple married on August 15, 2026, in McCall, Idaho, where Kendall’s family has spent winters skiing and summers on Payette Lake for years.
    — Alexandra Macon, Vogue, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Phasing over our area happens to be very common during El Niño winters.
    — Matthew Villafane, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of winters
Noun
  • Many of the notable firings were of Black or female officers, let go without explanation despite excellent service records.
    — Quil Lawrence, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
  • At the heart of the GOP frustration with Hegseth is his handling of military firings and promotions.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of firings
Noun
  • These trends often materialize in batch changeovers, supplier changes, line downtimes and traceability challenges.
    — Ihor Yurchenko, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 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
  • Layoffs, unpaid staff furloughs and school closures probably are ahead as the leaders downsize operations.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Pilots, flight attendants and other aviation workers faced pay cuts and furloughs from the decrease in flyers.
    — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of furloughs
Noun
  • There are no lulls in the storytelling and all the actors are wonderful and hungry and bring the heat.
    — Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Dull spells and lulls will crop up, building like waves, peaking, crashing, then dissipating.
    — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of lulls
Noun
  • Tuesday continues to be a transition day with clouds and limited breaks of sunshine.
    — Steven Sosna, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The resort also could host children’s day camps and training programs for surfing and skateboarding during school breaks.
    — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 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 4 Oct. 2026.

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