layoff
Americannoun
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the act of dismissing employees, especially temporarily.
-
a period of enforced unemployment or inactivity.
Usage
What’s the difference between layoff and furlough? A layoff is usually a permanent removal from a job. A furlough is a temporary release of a worker from their job, typically with the expectation that they will be asked to return.Both words can also be used as verbs. An organization can lay off employees or furlough them. The adjective forms are laid off and furloughed.The word layoff is typically used in the context of a company permanently letting go workers due to economic reasons (such as not being able to afford to pay them) as opposed to performance reasons (employees let go for poor performance are typically said to have been fired).A furlough typically involves an employer requiring an employee to stop working for a period of time during which they will not get paid—though furloughed workers sometimes keep their benefits, such as health insurance. Furloughs can happen during government shutdowns or when a company does not need certain employees for a certain period of time but expects to need them back after that period ends.Here’s an example of layoff and furlough used correctly in a sentence.Example: A furlough is not ideal, but at least it’s temporary—the company is doing it to avoid layoffs.Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between layoff and furlough.
Etymology
Origin of layoff
1885–90, noun use of verb phrase lay off
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hiring remains uneven, but layoffs are low and jobless claims are far from flashing recession signals.
From Barron's
San Bernardino County has seen other mass layoffs recently.
From Los Angeles Times
The layoffs are indicative of the U.S. wine industry’s broader struggles amid shifting tastes.
From Los Angeles Times
U.S. jobless claims fell last week, signaling limited layoffs.
Post leadership has framed the massive layoffs through a lens of data-driven business pragmatism rather than character considerations.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
