layoffs

Definition of layoffsnext
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 Cloudflare executives added that the company is hoping to avoid further major layoffs. Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026 What the experts say Hiring has picked up while layoffs remain relatively subdued, with little evidence so far that the Iran war is affecting the labor market. Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 8 May 2026 The filing also notes that the commission later announced layoffs affecting additional staff. Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 8 May 2026 Other broad layoffs in Connecticut this year have included a Stanley Black & Decker plant. Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2026 Even with massive layoffs and closing schools, Sacramento City Unified is likely to run out of cash and all borrowing options by February. Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 8 May 2026 Alongside first quarter results, the internet services company announced layoffs of 1,100, or 20% of its workforce, citing a transition to an AI-first model. Jim Cramer, CNBC, 8 May 2026 What wage insurance does is to take the kind of concept which was enacted by Congress in the early ’70s and apply it to a different cause for layoffs, the technological innovation which eliminates work. Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 1 May 2026 Still, the recent advisories don’t indicate an increase in layoffs. Jim Turner, Sun Sentinel, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layoffs
Noun
  • And after overseeing one of the most chaotic seasons in franchise history, following prior actions in the front office that included the dismissals of Kyle Dubas and then Brendan Shanahan, Pelley and an ownership group in transition haven’t earned the benefit of the doubt.
    Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 4 May 2026
  • The policy targeted former party members, particularly those in senior positions under the previous government, and led to large-scale dismissals across the public sector, including the military, education and civil service.
    ABC News, ABC News, 4 May 2026
Noun
  • But plenty of Americans are not just moving toward palm trees and warm winters.
    Larry Clifton, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
  • This interactive project looks at the impact of warmer, shorter winters on regions all over the country, from less ice fishing in Minnesota and fewer ski days in Colorado to drying reservoirs in the Southwest and more ticks and mosquitoes in the Northeast.
    Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Resignations, firings and transfers reduced the 36-person section to two.
    ProPublica, ProPublica, 1 May 2026
  • The distinguished scientists and engineers who made up the National Science Board did not know the firings were coming.
    Caroline Wagner, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
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
  • In Cambodia, worker groups spoke of furloughs, cut shifts and job losses.
    Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 28 Apr. 2026
  • No layoffs or furloughs are planned and vendors will be paid.
    Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • But against Oklahoma City, the Lakers’ lulls became an invitation for the Thunder to strike.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
  • Not all parts of the country seem to have the same pattern, although the data points to school breaks as relative lulls.
    Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • His exit comes despite MNUFC having two more games before the entire MLS breaks for the World Cup.
    Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 9 May 2026
  • Your bank learns those patterns, and travel breaks all of them at once.
    Andreina Rodriguez, CNBC, 8 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

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

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