layoff
Americannoun
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layoffs
plural
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the act of dismissing employees, especially temporarily.
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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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of layoff
1885–90, noun use of verb phrase lay off
Explanation
When a company informs a group of workers that their employment is terminated, it's called a layoff. In most cases, layoffs are a way for a business to save money. When the word layoff was coined in the 1880s, it meant "rest or relaxation." It evolved to be defined as "periodic respite from work," like a break for seasonal workers, and then "temporary release from employment." Employers began using it as a euphemism for "permanently firing people," a way to make it sound less harsh. Today when someone mentions layoffs, they're not temporary, unless they're specifically described that way.
Vocabulary lists containing layoff
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 23–March 1, 2025
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for January 20–January 26, 2024
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for April 13–April 19, 2024
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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.
See Examples For:
The country’s largest bank filed six layoff notices between February and July, impacting nearly 800 employees in Texas, New Jersey, and California.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Big picture: High inflation has hurt Americans by raising the cost of living, but a low unemployment rate and a low layoff rate have given people the confidence to keep spending like they normally do.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
While the technology sector has continued to lead announced job cuts, recent jobless-claims data suggest employers are holding back from any widespread layoff plans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
San José tech company Cisco plans to cut 471 workers in three Bay Area offices, according to layoff notices filed to a state agency.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
No elite horse had ever returned to top form after such a serious injury and lengthy layoff.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Low layoffs and low unemployment have provided a base of support and incomes are increasing faster than inflation, if just barely.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
“They should start by bringing back the 1,600 laid-off workers and guarantee no layoffs in the next two years,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
After years of layoffs, cash burn and political attacks on its core technology, Moderna’s melanoma vaccine data notched the biotech company a much-needed win.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
He acknowledged that the merger would bring some layoffs due to overlapping roles of the now merged workforce.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Most important, it allowed them to get to work on a moment’s notice, should they suddenly be called up from one of the frequent temporary layoffs.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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.
