LAYOFFS Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

layoffs

noun

plural of layoff

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

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 Netflix is obviously against the ropes again, after slowing user engagement on the service rattled Wall Street investors and layoffs came this week as a sacrifice to the share price. — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026 The support was appreciated by those who were impacted by the layoffs. — Veronica MacIas, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 Netflix has long had a corporate culture that largely eschewed layoffs (the cuts earlier this week were its first in four years) but favored individual teams making changes as needed. — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026 Applications for unemployment benefits inched up last week as layoffs remain historically low and most American workers enjoy job security. — Matt Ott, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 There were some hints of that in the layoffs yesterday, with the TV studio group hit particularly hard as agents and producers had been griping that the current setup didn’t make a lot of sense. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026 McQueen is parting ways with creative director Seán McGirr after an uneven three-year collaboration, and amid a substantial retrenchment of the business involving layoffs and a downsizing of the retail network. — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026 Hiring has been sluggish, but layoffs are also unusually low. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026 Yes, when the alternative is layoffs, closures or further disinvestment. — Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for layoffs

Noun

Documents in Sacramento’s courts do not indicate whether financial settlements were reached in connection with the dismissals.

— Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Multiple criminal cases had involved Berlusconi, but most ended in dismissals.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of dismissals

Noun

But El Niño winters generally bring even stronger waves, resulting in more sand loss and erosion.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
Historically, El Niño winters lead to wetter conditions in the Southern US and warmer and drier conditions in the North.

— Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of winters

Noun

Thursday's lawsuit cites public comments made by top Justice Department officials and the president directed toward the plaintiffs as evidence the firings were motivated by political animus.

— Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
The lawsuit seeks, among other remedies, reinstatement to the FBI, an awarding of back pay and a court order declaring that the firings were unlawful.

— Eric Tucker, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of firings

Noun

These trends often materialize in batch changeovers, supplier changes, line downtimes and traceability challenges.

— Ihor Yurchenko, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 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

If price breaks above $600, shares clear a major hurdle and a quick pop — driven by a short squeeze and fast money playing the breakout — could follow.

— Jay Woods, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
The 22-dish menu runs nearly three hours and is deliberately less intense than Anand's Thailand flagship, with a page of house rules on phone use and smoke breaks handed out before the welcome drink.

— Karina Acharya, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of breaks

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lay off (of)

layoffs

lay on

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“Layoffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layoffs. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of layoffs

noun

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