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 And earlier this week, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for June showed a slight pickup in hiring and quits (an indicator of employee confidence) while layoffs were essentially unchanged. — Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026 On the other side, a number of A-listers have added their names to an anti-merger petition that has drawn more than 5,000 signatures, citing fears about potential layoffs and sensitivity around combining two major studios. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026 The opponents of the rule change have argued that nixing the cap would accelerate media consolidation, trigger rounds of layoffs, shrink the pool of independent station owners and limit viewpoint diversity on the airwaves. — Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 6 Aug. 2026 The number of layoffs last month was the lowest since July 2024, when roughly 26,000 cuts were announced. — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026 Highlighting layoffs at Ubisoft, Microsoft, and many others, the fund has already raised over $163,000 at the time of writing, and hopes to reach its admirable but most definitely gettable goal of $200,000. — Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 Doing the math, that would put the total number of layoffs at about 36 corporate employees. — Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile, layoffs in staff at entities like the National Institutes of Health and NSF have slowed down how quickly universities are able to receive research dollars. — Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 6 Aug. 2026 Clayton succeeds Bill Pulte, whose interim tenure brought multiple rounds of layoffs of high-ranking officials. — Alex Harring, CNBC, 30 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layoffs
  1. dismissals
  2. winters
  3. firings
  4. downtimes
  5. furloughs
  6. lulls
  7. breaks
Noun
  • Women are increasingly leveraging AI tools like Claude to navigate their healthcare, seeking control and addressing historical dismissals within the medical system.
    — Amy Shoenthal, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • But there are also several reasons to suggest he simply couldn’t be trusted to lead the red-ball side — from his off-field antics in New Zealand last winter, to his penchant for daft dismissals at crucial moments in games.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of dismissals
Noun
  • The looming El Niño could bring one of the wettest winters on record to California, according to renowned climatologist Daniel Swain.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The Chicago region’s subsurface ground conditions, along with its warm summers and cold winters, makes geothermal energy cost-effective and useful throughout the year, said Kenneth Maruyama, senior vice president of Tree Street Group.
    — Brian J. Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of winters
Noun
  • Mental states correspond to a particular physicality of the brain, meaning that sadness corresponds to specific wirings and firings in the brain.
    — Theodore McDarrah, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Pelley was shown the door with cause after confronting management over the firings at a June 1 meeting.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2026
Definition of firings
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
Definition of downtimes
Noun
  • Police, firefighters, paramedics, and 911 employees are exempt from the furloughs.
    — Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 30 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of furloughs
Noun
  • Parties have exploited lulls in fighting to buy time, rebuild capabilities and consolidate political or territorial gains ahead of the next round of conflict.
    — Anthony Wanis-St John, The Conversation, 10 July 2026
  • Getty Images There are lulls on the PGA Tour calendar, and this is one of those heading into the John Deere Classic this weekend.
    — Jeff Hartman, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of lulls
Noun
  • There are more than enough new book releases in August to keep readers contentedly antisocial and entertained until the humidity breaks.
    — Colin Dwyer, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, those still on their post-World Cup breaks — including France’s Jules Kounde, England’s Anthony Gordon and the eight Barca players in Spain’s squad are due back from August 11 and August 12.
    — Laia Cervelló Herrero, New York Times, 4 Aug. 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 7 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of layoffs for Spanish Speakers

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