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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
During his first term, Trump sought congressional approval to mandate similar layoffs. Nina Totenberg, NPR, 8 July 2025 Schumer requested that the Department of Commerce’s acting inspector general, Roderick Anderson, look into whether the layoffs affected the response time to the disaster. Jenny Goldsberry, The Washington Examiner, 8 July 2025
Verb
On Thursday, Indeed laid off roughly 1,300 employees at the company, as well as sister brand Glassdoor. Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 11 July 2025 Ben Rice laid off a 3-2 slider that was well outside of the strike zone to walk and load the bases with two outs. Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 11 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for layoff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layoff
Noun
  • President Donald Trump’s potential dismissal of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is a major and underpriced risk that could trigger a selloff in the US dollar and Treasuries, a Deutsche Bank AG strategist said.
    Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 12 July 2025
  • The Justice Department’s dismissal of the charges comes as Moore started a 15-day trial earlier this week in Salt Lake City, Utah.
    David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 12 July 2025
Noun
  • Adding a player with multiple years of control at a reasonable cost — both in terms of contract size and prospects given up — would improve the 2025 team while also reducing the free-agent needs this upcoming winter.
    Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 11 July 2025
  • In a mild winter, they have been known to overwinter.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • The toddler stopped crying about 15 minutes after she had been put down for a nap.
    Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2025
  • Such as when our yellow Lab Frank couldn’t stop wagging his tail while digging a hole.
    David McGrath, Chicago Tribune, 11 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
  • Live With Kelly & Mark took a temporary break from morning TV spiciness to douse the flames of their typically steamy 9 a.m. passions with the tears of longtime producer Michael Gelman.
    EW.com, EW.com, 15 July 2025
Verb
  • The halt of the 2025 CMT Awards ceases the awards show's status as one of the longest-running country music ceremonies; the CMTS began in 1967, coming onto the scene only a year after the ACMs were established in 1966.
    Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
  • Trump signed an order May 2 directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cease funding NPR and PBS.
    Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Noun
  • Mohammadi, who is serving a 13-year, 9-month sentence, was granted a medical furlough from the prison, where many of the country's dissidents and political prisoners are held.
    ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2025
  • Many state workers remember when former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger instituted mandatory furloughs on several occasions.
    William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 27 June 2025
Noun
  • Things got better for Deschanel from then on with the help of Hanson, who made sure to get her a bigger trailer for more privacy, and more downtime to work on lines.
    EW.com, EW.com, 12 July 2025
  • This kind of downtime is rare for both of them, and it’s really allowed their bond to deepen.
    Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 11 July 2025

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Layoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layoff. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on layoff

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!