1
: a period of inactivity or idleness
2
: the act of laying off an employee or a workforce
also
: shutdown
laid off; laying off; lays off
1
: to mark or measure off
2
: to cease to employ (a worker) often temporarily
3
of a bookie
: to place all or part of (an accepted bet) with another bookie to reduce the risk
1
: to stop doing or taking something
2
: to leave one alone
wish you'd just lay off
Synonyms
Examples of layoff in a Sentence
Noun
The company announced the layoff of several hundred employees.
More layoffs are expected at the factory later this year.
The band finally has a new album after a three year layoff.
a layoff of three years
Verb
you need to lay off eating those jelly doughnuts, or you'll end up looking like one
Recent Examples on the Web
Rob Wile, NBC News, 24 Oct. 2024
More than a third (37%) of managers, directors, and executives reportedly believe their company issued layoffs in the past year because fewer employees quit from the RTO mandate than expected, according to a survey from BambooHR.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024
Peter Green, Quartz, 18 Nov. 2024
Amazon has laid off more than 27,000 workers since 2022.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for layoff 
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.
Noun
In a separate note to clients last week, analysts with Nomura Holdings financial group said layoffs stemming from the Boeing strike may also complicate the jobs picture in upcoming data.
—Rob Wile, NBC News, 24 Oct. 2024
More than a third (37%) of managers, directors, and executives reportedly believe their company issued layoffs in the past year because fewer employees quit from the RTO mandate than expected, according to a survey from BambooHR.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
So laying off restaurant workers means less money being spent in the overall economy, less economic growth, and more people lining up for unemployment benefits.
—Peter Green, Quartz, 18 Nov. 2024
Amazon has laid off more than 27,000 workers since 2022.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for layoff
Articles Related to layoff
Dictionary Entries Near layoff
Cite this Entry
“Layoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/layoff. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
layoff
1 of 2 noun
lay·off
ˈlā-ˌȯf 
1
: the act of laying off an employee or a work force
2
: a period during which there is no activity
lay off
2 of 2 verb(ˈ)lā-ˈȯf
1
: to mark or measure off
2
: to stop employing (a person) often temporarily
lay off workers
3
: to stop doing or taking something
lay off of that stuff
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share