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
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Growing adoption of artificial intelligence and a general sense of uncertainty have prompted layoffs and halted large-scale hiring at some companies.
—Rachel Barber, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 22 Mar. 2026
The Office of Personnel Management has just taken a sensible step to deal with the problem by proposing that federal agencies lay off their lowest performers first.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for layoff
Noun
The impact shows up not as layoffs but as fewer pathways into the workforce.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Growing adoption of artificial intelligence and a general sense of uncertainty have prompted layoffs and halted large-scale hiring at some companies.
—Rachel Barber, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Verb
Content aggregator Digg, which was in beta ahead of its comeback, was recently forced to pause operations and lay off staff in response to the horde of bots on its platform.
—Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 22 Mar. 2026
The Office of Personnel Management has just taken a sensible step to deal with the problem by proposing that federal agencies lay off their lowest performers first.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for layoff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layoff
Noun
-
But mostly the dismissal of Hathaway’s grand clownery in this was transferred hatred for the objectionable movie itself.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
Hegseth seemed to emerge with solid Republican support, though a few GOP senators asked about the dismissal of a top Army general and sought assurances that the Pentagon is doing everything possible to prevent civilian deaths.—
Ben Finley,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In the winter cold, men climbed leafless trees to see the President-elect speak.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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In it, Suu Kyi said little beyond describing the changing seasons from her cell in Myanmar's capital, Naypyidaw – from the discomforts of the cold in winter, to the summer heat.—
Lorcan Lovett,
NPR,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Quin Snyder’s Towns wrinkle stalled the Knicks briefly, then stopped working.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The workers get ordered to start jobs, stop jobs, ignore jobs and are other things that turn them into ping pong balls, with the Butleys and the del Valles as the paddles.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Weltman’s first coaching change with Orlando was his firing of Frank Vogel in 2018 and hiring of Clifford, which took 48 days.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 May 2026
-
Pressure from the administration In recent weeks, high-profile decisions in closely-watched, controversial immigration court cases appear to have led to the firing of immigration court judges, for instance, who seemingly ruled against the wishes of the current administration.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Steele is now unlikely to rejoin the Cubs’ rotation until after the July All-Star break, Counsell estimated.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Wagner led the team at the halfway mark with 17 points, scoring 10 points in the paint before the break.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Marco Bello | Reuters Spirit Airlines ceased operations early Saturday after the budget airline failed to get its bond investors behind a $500 million government bailout deal.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
4 May 2026
-
The building became empty and available after a solar roof company exited the site, ceased operations, laid off all its South Bay workers and moved to Texas.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
In Cambodia, worker groups spoke of furloughs, cut shifts and job losses.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
28 Apr. 2026
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One official in the Office of Intelligence and Analysis described an operation functioning at roughly 80% capacity, with employees rotating in and out of furlough status week to week — disrupting even routine information-sharing and leaving critical gaps in coordination.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes’ staff will use the time to find ways to exploit the Flyers while giving their players some downtime before the next task.—
Cory Lavalette,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
-
Nazem Kadri saw the Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5, but otherwise just enjoyed his first extended downtime in Denver for a while after returning to the Avs before the trade deadline.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Layoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layoff. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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