layoff 1 of 2

1
as in dismissal
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 winter
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

lay off

2 of 2

verb

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 layoff
Noun
Undeterred — and despite a three-year layoff — Cahill signed with the independent Gastonia Ghost Peppers in June. Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 July 2025 Amazon's stores, communications, and devices and services divisions also got hit with layoffs earlier this year. Samantha Subin, CNBC, 18 July 2025
Verb
The rookie might not be used to laying off the dark uniforms in team drills elsewhere. Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 23 July 2025 The staffers, whose responsibilities included helping protect students and teachers from discrimination, assisting college financial aid offices and compiling data about the nation's schools, were laid off in March. USA Today, 19 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for layoff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layoff
Noun
  • But the Trump administration said Maddox instead should’ve taken his cue from the Supreme Court’s May decision allowing the president to fire Democratic members of two federal labor boards while the former members challenge their dismissals.
    Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 24 July 2025
  • Right now, all Broward students are prohibited from using their cellphones from the morning bell until dismissal, under a policy the School Board passed last year in hopes of improving mental health and academics among students.
    Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 24 July 2025
Noun
  • Then as now, the facilities shut down in the winter.
    Tom Zoellner, AZCentral.com, 25 July 2025
  • Unlike most respiratory diseases like the common cold and flu, which generally peak during the winter, COVID-19 tends to spike twice and sometimes three times a year: once in the fall and winter, once in spring, and another time in the summer.
    Alice Park, Time, 24 July 2025
Verb
  • Shortly after Braun’s executive order, the Indiana Department of Health told local health departments to stop accepting requests to change genders on birth certificates.
    Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 24 July 2025
  • During a ride-along with Florida Highway Patrol in July, the Washington Examiner saw state troopers who were deputized to work with Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement stop drivers for traffic offenses and turn them over to federal immigration authorities in the region.
    Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 23 July 2025
Noun
  • The firings come as Bondi and the agency have come under fire for not releasing any further information on the department’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
    Maria Gracia Santillana Linares, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
  • Supported Trump firing of more than a dozen inspectors general.
    Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 July 2025
Noun
  • Say the weekend prior to the final weekend prior to the All-Star break.
    Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
  • Going into the All-Star break, Judge is leading the majors with a .355 batting average and an OPS of 1.194.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 15 July 2025
Verb
  • Nissan Stadium's weather policy states that if lightning strikes within eight miles of the stage, the venue must cease the concert and ask show-goers to shelter in place.
    Melonee Hurt, The Tennessean, 18 July 2025
  • Parrot Jungle ceased operations in Pinecrest and its birds and staff made the move to Miami with the opening of Jungle Island in 2003.
    Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 18 July 2025
Noun
  • On June 10, Kelly filed an emergency motion for temporary furlough, claiming there is explicit evidence that officials solicited an inmate to murder him while in custody at a federal penitentiary in North Carolina.
    Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 19 June 2025
  • The judge had released him from jail on a medical furlough in 2018 due to a cancer diagnosis and other medical issues.
    Alex Riggins, Mercury News, 18 June 2025
Noun
  • Long hours, little pay, getting high in his downtime to decompress.
    Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
  • The couple's offseason adventures included a trip to Montana with pal Erin Andrews and friends, luxe dinner dates and downtime with friends.
    Natasha Dye, People.com, 25 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Layoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layoff. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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