unemployment
noun
un·em·ploy·ment
ˌən-im-ˈplȯi-mənt 
1
: the state of being unemployed : involuntary idleness of workers
also
: the rate of such unemployment
Examples of unemployment in a Sentence
My unemployment lasted about six months.
Unemployment has been increasing for months.
The current unemployment rate is six percent.
Recent Examples on the Web
Consensus estimates point to modest nonfarm payroll growth of 130,000 in April and the unemployment rate holding steady at 4.2%.
—
Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
And just a year ago, California’s unemployment rate was the largest of any state.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2025
Still, once there are clear signs the economy is deteriorating, such as a rising unemployment rate, the Fed will cut rates, regardless of what Trump does, economists said.
—Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2025
Santos admitted last August to engaging in a multipronged campaign finance scheme, stealing unemployment benefits during the Covid-19 pandemic and lying on House financial disclosure forms.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unemployment
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.
Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
And just a year ago, California’s unemployment rate was the largest of any state.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2025
Still, once there are clear signs the economy is deteriorating, such as a rising unemployment rate, the Fed will cut rates, regardless of what Trump does, economists said.
—Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2025
Santos admitted last August to engaging in a multipronged campaign finance scheme, stealing unemployment benefits during the Covid-19 pandemic and lying on House financial disclosure forms.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unemployment
Cite this Entry
“Unemployment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unemployment. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unemployment
noun
un·em·ploy·ment
ˌən-im-ˈplȯi-mənt
: the state of being out of work
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share