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

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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 Unemployment claims fell to 194,000 last week, the fewest in three months and another sign that layoffs remain low and most Americans enjoy extraordinary job security. — Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 Goldman Sachs thinks the layoffs are waiting for a recession. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026 The Netflix layoffs included other high-profile firings, like head of film Dan Lin, though his exit had been rumored for some time. — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 22 Oct. 2026 The return to office changes come just a day after a report suggested Microsoft was planning to announce further Xbox layoffs this month, and in November and January. — Tom Warren, The Verge, 21 Oct. 2026 Sources familiar with the town hall told Deadline the execs reiterated key messages from earnings and also memos related to last week’s layoffs of 1,000 workers, the company’s most extensive job cuts since 2022. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026 Videogame giant Electronic Arts, in its first major move since going private this summer, is restructuring its studios business — which will result in layoffs of about 3% of global workforce. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 21 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for layoffs

Noun

This came after the company fired three safety and alignment researchers, though OpenAI said the dismissals were not tied to employees voicing safety concerns.

— Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
Only 14 cases led to suspensions and seven to expulsions or dismissals.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of dismissals

Noun

Changes in rain and snowfall could lead to more seasons like the ones before the 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires, during which unusually wet winters fueled lots of green plant growth that then became tinder dry over eight months without rain.

— Blanca Begert, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Where winters are mild, Crumbley also lists watering and weeding as important measures to keep the garden healthy.

— Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of winters

Noun

The Netflix layoffs included other high-profile firings, like head of film Dan Lin, though his exit had been rumored for some time.

— Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 22 Oct. 2026
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

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

Beyond the breaks stood forests of giant kelp, each capable of growing as much as 50 centimeters a day.

— Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Some kids come into this life and catch all the breaks and start making money and going places and radiating confidence and functionality and the world opens right up to them.

— George Saunders, New Yorker, 18 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 25 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of layoffs

noun

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