layoff
/lˈeɪˌɔf/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.79 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A dismissal of employees from their jobs because of tightened budgetary constraints or work shortage (not due to poor performance or misconduct).
American usage
noun
A period of time when someone is unavailable for work.
Example Sentences
- "One of the muscles on the point of the shoulder was torn loose and it didn't need more than a glance to see that Mr. Hickey was in for a long lay-off. He wouldn't pitch again for quite a spell, if ever;"
- "But even the return of skipper Steven Gerrard from a six-week injury layoff could not inspire Liverpool"
- "After a ten-month layoff, during which extensive testing had taken place in conjunction with AEI, the 'Blue Trains' resumed full operation on October 2 1961, [...]."
- "At tech companies that spent recent years expanding paid parental leave, parents have felt the whiplash of mass layoffs in an especially visceral way."