layoffs

noun

plural of layoff
1
as in dismissals
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 winters
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

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of layoffs Yes, when the alternative is layoffs, closures or further disinvestment. — Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026 In addition, African Americans — whose unemployment rate hit 7 percent in September — and recent college graduates are disproportionately feeling the pain of a job market in which, despite few layoffs, job opportunities are lacking. — Lauren Kaori Gurley, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026 The message comes following Tuesday morning’s memo from David Ellison, chairman and CEO, and co-CEO Ynon Kreiz, which acknowledged that layoffs will be part of the process of integrating the two companies. — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026 There have already been mass layoffs at major manufacturers like Volkswagen. — ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026 After layoffs earlier this year, anyone left will be without work. — CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 Thousands of layoffs are expected as the companies consolidate, and Ellison and his team are set to lay out the go-forward strategy, with streaming and theatrical films top of mind. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026 The pursuit of greater efficiency has also been applied to the company’s workforce, which has undergone recent layoffs. — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026 Meta completed one round of layoffs in May (about 8,000 people), then quietly shelved the bigger second wave. — Lydia Zhang, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layoffs
  1. dismissals
  2. winters
  3. firings
  4. downtimes
  5. furloughs
  6. lulls
  7. breaks
Noun
  • Multiple criminal cases had involved Berlusconi, but most ended in dismissals.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The dismissals ended the corruption review, which was in its early stages.
    — William Turton, ProPublica, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of dismissals
Noun
  • More utility-scale renewables are online, and people and businesses across Ukrainian society have learned from successive bleak winters how to muddle through with batteries, generators, blankets, and candles.
    — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Opening in 2023, French Custard has now made it through a few KC winters, and Wood said people still show up for their special pint drops.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of winters
Noun
  • The firings also weren’t the only safety departure at OpenAI last week.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Director Kash Patel says the report aims to promote accountability and rebuild public trust; critics say his investigations and firings have politicized the bureau and further undermined confidence.
    — Eric Tucker, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of firings
Noun
  • These trends often materialize in batch changeovers, supplier changes, line downtimes and traceability challenges.
    — Ihor Yurchenko, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The average response time for phone calls dropped to 6 minutes from 30 minutes in the prior fiscal year; field office wait times decreased to 23 minutes; and removal of online service downtimes has benefited an additional 125,000 users in a single week, according to the agency's findings.
    — Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025
Definition of downtimes
Noun
  • Layoffs, unpaid staff furloughs and school closures probably are ahead as the leaders downsize operations.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Pilots, flight attendants and other aviation workers faced pay cuts and furloughs from the decrease in flyers.
    — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of furloughs
Noun
  • There are no lulls in the storytelling and all the actors are wonderful and hungry and bring the heat.
    — Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Dull spells and lulls will crop up, building like waves, peaking, crashing, then dissipating.
    — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of lulls
Noun
  • Other incentives contemplated include a special 1% sales tax district in the project area and sales tax breaks on construction materials, city documents show.
    — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2026
  • This is encouraging — trustworthy system should be able to pump the breaks and realize when data inputs are too unreliable to make accurate estimations.
    — Euan Ashley, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of breaks

Browse Nearby Words

lay off (of)
layoffs
lay on
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Cite this Entry

“Layoffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layoffs. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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