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 The board rejected the judge’s recommendations to rescind the layoffs, and approved sending the final layoff notices to the employees. Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 22 May 2026 Professionals facing career transitions—whether due to layoffs, industry shifts or broader economic forces—are frequently left to navigate change on their own. Irma Becerra, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026 In recent months, however, the company has weathered layoffs, internal turbulence and increasingly public ideological fractures on the American right — particularly around Shapiro, its biggest star by far, and his ongoing support of Israel through the war in Gaza, and now in Iran. Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026 But Kristine Kavanagh, communications director for Local 150, said in an email Friday the way the layoffs were handled disappointing and deeply concerning. Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2026 Why companies may blame AI for layoffs AI has become a convenient explanation for layoffs. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026 The layoffs bludgeoning the tech industry continued this week as artificial intelligence reshapes the industry. Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026 This move is part of an even larger reorganization by the agency (though NASA asserts that this doesn't mean layoffs). Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 22 May 2026 The layoffs come a day after TD Cowen upgraded Starbucks' stock. Paulina Likos, CNBC, 15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layoffs
Noun
  • The Mulholland Drive actress has since become one of the most visible voices urging women to recognize perimenopause symptoms earlier, writing a book on the subject and speaking openly about the years of confusion, shame and dismissals that shaped her experience.
    Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2026
  • Korey’s record reports multimillion-dollar personal injury case results, more than 1,000 criminal-defense clients served, more than 500 dismissals, and recognition through The National Trial Lawyers Top 100, the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and FOX 26 News.
    Matt Emma, USA Today, 13 May 2026
Noun
  • Milder than average winters tend to prevail across the northern half of the country.
    CNN.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 19 May 2026
  • El Niño winters in Chicagoland are typically warmer than normal with below-average snowfall as the polar jet stream shifts farther north into Canada.
    David Yeomans, CBS News, 19 May 2026
Noun
  • But with the new firings, USPSTF has eight vacancies, including the chair and vice chair positions.
    Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 22 May 2026
  • Super Heavy has undergone its own assessments in recent weeks, including test firings of the booster's 33 Raptor 3 engines.
    Josh Dinner, Space.com, 20 May 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
  • Public pressure and her deteriorating health led to releases and furloughs.
    Irwin Cotler, Time, 8 May 2026
  • In Cambodia, worker groups spoke of furloughs, cut shifts and job losses.
    Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 28 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The quality, however, doesn’t make for a pleasant viewing experience, especially during lulls in the season like the one the Dodgers are currently battling through.
    Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 13 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
  • If so, talk about that and ask them to help assuage your fears by explaining their practices for taking breaks, switching drivers and stopping along the way.
    R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2026
  • Without intentional breaks, leaders deplete the resources needed to stay effective.
    Tony Loyd, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Layoffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layoffs. Accessed 25 May. 2026.

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