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
Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Friday's jobs report also shows some of the effects of the administration's large-scale layoffs.
—Scott Horsley, NPR, 4 Apr. 2025
Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
Now the White House Is Expanding the Strategy In the Trump administration's early days, thousands of federal employees doing critical work—overseeing the U.S. nuclear stockpile, researching and working to prevent bird flu, overseeing food safety and more—were abruptly laid off before being rehired.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for layoff
Noun
The tour has taken them not only to reliable blue enclaves but also conservative districts where Trump’s tariffs and mass federal jobs layoffs threaten to tank the local economy.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Friday's jobs report also shows some of the effects of the administration's large-scale layoffs.
—Scott Horsley, NPR, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
In the past two months, the Trump administration has laid off thousands of workers at numerous agencies and paused trillions of dollars worth of federal grants.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
Now the White House Is Expanding the Strategy In the Trump administration's early days, thousands of federal employees doing critical work—overseeing the U.S. nuclear stockpile, researching and working to prevent bird flu, overseeing food safety and more—were abruptly laid off before being rehired.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for layoff
Recent Examples of Synonyms for layoff
Noun
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Those challenging the dismissals argued that OPM didn't have the authority to order firings.—
Christina Gatti,
NPR,
8 Apr. 2025
-
The dismissal of Malone could prove to be a turning point for the Nuggets—either sparking a resurgence or further unraveling their season.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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These cases were unusual, occurring in the winter, and no major rodent infestations were found in these victims’ homes.—
Judy Stone,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Power-hitting Japanese first baseman Munetaka Murakami, 25, is expected to pursue a move to MLB this winter as well.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Has Bacteria-Fighting Properties A study found that ACV helped stop the growth of two harmful bacteria: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli).—
Johna Burdeos,
Health,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Ronnie Dunn unexpectedly stopped a performance in Indianapolis.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Ken Russell, who is also running for mayor, was one of the two remaining commissioners to vote against his firing.—
Tess Riski,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2025
-
The two decisions represent a significant setback for the states, the unions and the civic organizations that had sued the government in an effort to block the summary firings of more than 24,000 federal workers.—
Andrea Hsu,
NPR,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The new season involves a prison break and follows a criminal group, the Phantom Gang, undertaking more daring heists while being pursued by the cops.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
9 Apr. 2025
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Both sides took disappointing MLS breaks since their previous meeting.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Yellow’s bankruptcy journey has lasted roughly 20 months, with the century-old less-than-truckload (LTL) company ceasing operations July 30, 2023.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
1 Apr. 2025
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If Jun-no can’t turn things around quickly the company may cease to exist.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
Noun
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On Wednesday, the administration ramped up its pressure on employees to leave, sending a reminder that layoffs or furloughs could come next.—
CHRIS MEGERIAN,
TIME,
6 Feb. 2025
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On Wednesday, Lopez was sentenced to probation, with a six-year prison sentence suspended for five years, and ordered to complete a work furlough program after pleading guilty to DUI causing injury and having a blood-alcohol content of over 0.15%.—
Christian Martinez,
The Mercury News,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Through comprehensive and responsive support, organizations can take advantage of minimal downtime, quick-issue resolution and the smooth operation of business-critical applications.—
Steve Millidge,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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Matchmaking is disabled before any significant downtime, and players are not able to access the game during this window.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Layoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/layoff. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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