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
The unemployment rate is predicted to have remained unchanged at 4.1%.
—
Pia Singh, CNBC, 2 Feb. 2025
The unemployment rate would average 4.5% this year, 0.3 percentage points higher than without the tariffs, Sweet said.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2025
Arkansas' unemployment rate rose one-tenth of a percentage point to 3.4% in December, lower than the national rate of 4.1%.
—Alex Golden, Axios, 31 Jan. 2025
With the state’s unemployment rate at 5.2% as of December – the national unemployment rate is 4.1% – and Illinois already being home to the second highest property and corporate income taxes in the country, Miller says residents have suffered enough.
—Glenn Minnis | The Center Square Contributor, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 31 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for unemployment 
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Pia Singh, CNBC, 2 Feb. 2025
The unemployment rate would average 4.5% this year, 0.3 percentage points higher than without the tariffs, Sweet said.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2025
Arkansas' unemployment rate rose one-tenth of a percentage point to 3.4% in December, lower than the national rate of 4.1%.
—Alex Golden, Axios, 31 Jan. 2025
With the state’s unemployment rate at 5.2% as of December – the national unemployment rate is 4.1% – and Illinois already being home to the second highest property and corporate income taxes in the country, Miller says residents have suffered enough.
—Glenn Minnis | The Center Square Contributor, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 31 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for unemployment
Dictionary Entries Near unemployment
Cite this Entry
“Unemployment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unemployment. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unemployment
noun
un·em·ploy·ment
ˌən-im-ˈplȯi-mənt
: the state of being out of work
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