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
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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
Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 17 June 2026
Some Hurricane Hunter staff were affected by the layoffs.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 17 June 2026
Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
In a controversial move, the school board opted to issue lay off notices for every member of the district office’s central staff — including the district’s top leader, Cancy McArn.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for layoff
Noun
Tech layoffs through May 2026 have already surpassed 115,000, approaching the total logged in all of 2025, with Meta, Amazon, and Snap among those citing AI as a driver of cuts.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 17 June 2026
Some Hurricane Hunter staff were affected by the layoffs.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 17 June 2026
Verb
The cuts come as other major tech companies this year, including Meta, Block, Oracle and others, lay off thousands of workers.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
In a controversial move, the school board opted to issue lay off notices for every member of the district office’s central staff — including the district’s top leader, Cancy McArn.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for layoff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layoff
Noun
-
While the primary suit was settled with no monetary compensation for either side, Lively’s lawyers preserved their motion to pursue damages and fees related to the dismissal of Baldoni’s suit.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
12 June 2026
-
Reps for Paramount and Shell did not respond to Deadline’s request for comment on the dismissal filings.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Nearly all the water in the Colorado River comes from the sky, mostly from last winter’s snow.—
Allen Best,
Denver Post,
14 June 2026
-
Investigators also recovered several personal belongings from the campsite, including binoculars, a backpack, a shoulder bag, a folding saw, a blanket and winter clothing, according to reports.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Dallas Cowboys fans can stop wondering if George Pickens will be the latest holdout or hold in for the franchise because on Tuesday, the receiver cleared the air by reporting to mandatory minicamp.—
Briana Aldridge,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
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This often meant that European nations recruited talented footballers from their former colonies to stop them from playing elsewhere.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Guests also love the daily tradition that starts by the fireplace in the main lobby, processes to a ceremonial firing of a replica 19th-century cannon on the edge of Mobile Bay, and finishes with light bites back at the hotel.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
-
The board voted 7-0 after meeting in executive session to consider the firing of Jennifer Honka.—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Hydration breaks occur at every game of the competition, irrespective of the conditions.—
Tom Burrows,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
The terrain can be treacherous, but the guide offered patience and grace for our entire group, slowing down without comment when someone was straggling and prioritizing water breaks.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
These changes come just one month after Spirit Airlines abruptly ceased all operations, leaving its nine gates at DTW idle.—
Christina Zhang,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
-
Kraken, one of the oldest crypto exchanges in the global industry, is ceasing on World Cup fever and drawing parallels between soccer fans and ‘hodlers’ in their promotions.—
Cleve Mesidor,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
San Diego finalized new labor contracts for most city workers Tuesday that include 10% raises over three years, but the contracts soften the impact of those pay hikes on the city’s budget crisis by requiring unpaid furloughs.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 June 2026
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The furloughs come just weeks before the museum’s annual Juneteenth celebration, as well as the third anniversary of its opening on June 27.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Swift and Kelce's theater date comes as the couple continues to enjoy downtime together following a busy year that included the singer's record-breaking Eras Tour and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end's most recent NFL season.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
14 June 2026
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The Uptime Institute's industry analysis shows that misconfigurations of core network services lead to performance problems and downtime.—
Scott Fulton,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Layoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layoff. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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