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 Previously, the deficit had been estimated to total around $100 million, leading the school board in February to approve hundreds of layoffs and other spending cuts. Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 26 June 2026 On Thursday, university officials said the latest round of layoffs was a last resort, which mostly impacted administrative workers. Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 26 June 2026 Cisco’s layoffs in California impacted workers in its San José, Milpitas and San Francisco offices. Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026 The layoffs also included contractors on both Destiny and Marathon, with the former being a somewhat chaotic situation in which those contractors were supposed to help test and implement the last hotfix for Destiny 2. Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 And this has come with sweeping, indiscriminate layoffs of nonpartisan public servants. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025 More layoffs were sure to come. David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025 More federal layoffs may be coming that could further shrink the public-health workforce. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2025 Based on the latest available numbers, the buyouts and layoffs cut the workforce of the entire division by at least a third (though that proportion is likely higher due to other types of recent departures). Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
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
Noun
  • Warmer temperatures and milder winters allow ticks to survive in regions that were previously too cold for them.
    Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
  • In zones with mild winters, such as Zone 8, 'Angel White' along with 'Lavender Lady', 'Blue Skies', and 'Old Glory' can flourish.
    Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 June 2026
Noun
  • Nonetheless, the firings were a reminder that the runway for a play caller to find his rhythm can be unforgiving.
    Joseph Person, New York Times, 24 June 2026
  • The heckler's veto The wave of firings after Kirk's assassination was spurred on by pro-Trump influencers, lawmakers and Vice President JD Vance.
    Huo Jingnan, NPR, 23 June 2026
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
Noun
  • 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
  • The furloughs come just weeks before the museum’s annual Juneteenth celebration, as well as the third anniversary of its opening on June 27.
    News Desk, Artforum, 12 June 2026
Noun
  • Atmospheric warming is diminishing wildfires’ nighttime lulls.
    Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
  • Yes, there were lulls, to be sure.
    Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
Noun
  • Since launching his menswear brand in 2015, the Mexican American designer casts the same key models repeatedly, such as Shaid Anaya, who takes breaks from his regular job as a construction workers to walk his shows.
    Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 27 June 2026
  • When news breaks of an Ebola case almost anywhere in the world, the public reaction is remarkably predictable.
    Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 26 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Layoffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layoffs. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.

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