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 Production shutdowns, layoffs BrightDrop's struggles come less than a year after GM folded the commercial vans into its Chevrolet brand in a bid to boost its performance as GM tries to gain ground against competitors, including Ford and Rivian, in the electric van space. Jackie Charniga, Freep.com, 14 Sep. 2025 Bureau staff were told the group itself, already gutted as part of mass layoffs at the State Department in July, would refocus on migration diplomacy and disaster response rather than its traditional refugee focus. Ted Hesson, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025 And while the President's budget has yet to be signed into law, protest leaders point to layoffs already underway, active spacecraft marked for premature decommission and projects halted midstream as evidence that real damage is already underway. Josh Dinner, Space.com, 12 Sep. 2025 One industry publication reported that the company just underwent significant layoffs. Andrew R. Chow, Time, 12 Sep. 2025 These tactics encourage employees to consider changing jobs without their employers needing to go through the implications of conducting larger-scale layoffs. Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025 Additionally, the total number of unemployed individuals now outnumbers the number of job openings for the first time since April 2021, and surging layoffs have made finding and keeping a job an increasingly trying task. Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025 When GenAI first captured widespread attention in 2023, smart companies built sustainable AI governance models, prioritized transparency and tackled employee displacement through reinvention rather than layoffs. Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025 And this has come with sweeping, indiscriminate layoffs of nonpartisan public servants. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layoffs
Noun
  • The men allege their dismissals violated their Fifth Amendment right to due process and the First Amendment's guarantee to free association and free speech.
    Carrie Johnson, NPR, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Attorney Chris Mattei, representing the agents, said the dismissals weakened the bureau.
    Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Blazing hot autumns and short winters often result in a less-than-spectacular display of spring flowers.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The six-car garage is equipped with an EV charging station, and, this being Minnesota, where the winters regularly plunge below freezing, it is also thoughtfully heated.
    Tori Latham, Robb Report, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Ursa Major will be able to conduct full-scale static firings, and drop and temperature storage testing for current and future missile systems.
    Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The former officials’ attorneys, represented by former Hunter Biden attorney Abbe Lowell, are seeking back pay and a formal declaration that the firings were unlawful.
    Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 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
  • Chapman weathered the pandemic without layoffs, furloughs or cuts to salaries and benefits, Struppa said.
    Hanna Kang, Oc Register, 31 Aug. 2025
  • Late 2024 – Early 2025 – The airline cuts jobs, furloughs pilots, sells aircraft, and rejects a Frontier merger offer while trying to stabilize.
    Will McGough, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Things got a little sparse in the middle of the maze, but a good set-up and a strong finish made up for any lulls in the action.
    Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Many matches that stretch to five sets are hailed as classics, but closer inspection reveals their lulls and impurities.
    Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Those who pause for breaks, meditate, do yoga, get enough sleep, build a support network and ask for help perform at a higher level.
    Samantha Dewalt, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Even the frat boys next door got involved, doting on Stella and holding her during study breaks.
    Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Layoffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layoffs. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

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