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
as in to stop
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
you need to lay off eating those jelly doughnuts, or you'll end up looking like one
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of layoff
Jibin Joseph, PCMAG, 31 Jan. 2025
An Endeavor spokesman reached by email Thursday could not say whether the layoffs affected any personnel at Edward Hospital.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025
News Desk, Artforum, 7 Feb. 2025
The news comes just weeks after an announcement that Liberated – the retail and e-commerce operator for several of the Authentic Brands Group labels – shuttered its Costa Mesa headquarters and laid off 400 employees.
—Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for layoff 
Noun
It was signed by more than 1,250 employees and called on CEO Sundar Pichai to offer optimal buyouts before announcing layoffs.
—Jibin Joseph, PCMAG, 31 Jan. 2025
An Endeavor spokesman reached by email Thursday could not say whether the layoffs affected any personnel at Edward Hospital.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025
Verb
The Brooklyn Museum on February 7 announced a series of cost-cutting measures that include laying off more than forty employees, slashing the average number of exhibitions produced annually from twelve to nine, and canceling weeknight events with poor attendance or inconsistent funding.
—News Desk, Artforum, 7 Feb. 2025
The news comes just weeks after an announcement that Liberated – the retail and e-commerce operator for several of the Authentic Brands Group labels – shuttered its Costa Mesa headquarters and laid off 400 employees.
—Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for layoff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layoff
Noun
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Just four months later, he was asked to hold the fort as interim head coach at one of the world’s biggest clubs following Ten Hag’s dismissal.—
Rob Tanner,
The Athletic,
6 Feb. 2025
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An ex-member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), whom President Trump fired last month, filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging her dismissal and asking a federal court to reinstate her to the board.—
Emily Peck,
Axios,
5 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Life often slows down in the winter: fewer guests, fewer plans, chores put off due to 5 p.m. sunsets.—
Lori Keong,
Architectural Digest,
6 Feb. 2025
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For some parts of Southern California, the winter wet season got its latest start this year in over 150 years of recordkeeping, Gershunov said.—
Nidhi Sharma,
NBC News,
6 Feb. 2025
Verb
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At least 10 killed in worst mass shooting in Sweden's history 01:33 BREAKFAST BROWSE Michael Jordan’s son arrested on drug charge The 34-year-old son of NBA great Michael Jordan was arrested Tuesday in Florida after police officers found his vehicle stopped on railroad tracks.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN,
5 Feb. 2025
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Courtesy of Instagram Her love of personalization doesn’t stop at jewelry.—
Olivia Allen,
Vogue,
5 Feb. 2025
Noun
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But people who work in civil rights warn the firings are part of a broad attempt to dismantle the infrastructure for addressing systemic inequalities in America.—
Andrea Hsu,
NPR,
9 Feb. 2025
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Here in Denver, 10 environmental justice workers at EPA were just put on administrative leave, with the strong implication that more firings are to come.—
Megan Schrader,
The Denver Post,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Review:Kendrick Lamar's fierce Super Bowl halftime show elevates Drake feud, makes history Need a break?—
Edward Segarra,
USA TODAY,
11 Feb. 2025
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Marc credits the realization of his vision to the help of local craftspeople, many of whom worked for him during their winter break from Glimmerglass.—
David Foxley,
Architectural Digest,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The return-to-work ordinance would require city executives to determine timelines to cease remote-work options for their employees.—
Jessica Boehm,
Axios,
11 Feb. 2025
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Wednesday night, precipitation is expected to be both rain and snow but become all rain after 1 a.m. Snow is expected to cease heading into Thursday with rain instead predicted before 1 p.m.—
Matt Hubbard,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Eligibility depends on the circumstances of job separation, such as layoffs, furloughs or resignations under duress.—
Kristan Hawkins,
Newsweek,
6 Feb. 2025
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As a result, a number of federal employees could be subject to furloughs and reclassification as at-will workers.—
Jennifer Jacobs,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Operational downtime: Cyberattacks disrupt day-to-day operations, delaying services and causing financial strain.—
Garrett Vanderpool,
Kansas City Star,
5 Feb. 2025
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This means users can quickly swap batteries in the field, extending mission duration and reducing potential downtime during critical operations.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
1 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Layoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layoff. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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