Dictionary

layoff en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Deverbal from lay off.

Meanings

1. (US) A dismissal of employees from their jobs because of tightened budgetary constraints or work shortage (not due to poor performance or misconduct).
2. A period of time when someone is unavailable for work.
   • 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, [...]. 2021 July 28, Ben Jones, “When BR got cracking after withdrawal of 'Blue Trains'”, in RAIL, number 932, page 32:
   • At tech companies that spent recent years expanding paid parental leave, parents have felt the whiplash of mass layoffs in an especially visceral way. 2023 April 11, Kurtis Lee, “California Economy Is on Edge After Tech Layoffs and Studio Cutbacks”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 19 Apr 2023:
   • 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; 1916 March 11, Charles E. Van Loan, “His Folks”, in Saturday Evening Post:
   • But even the return of skipper Steven Gerrard from a six-week injury layoff could not inspire Liverpool 2010 December 29, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 16 Mar 2017:
3. (UK) A short pass that has been rolled in front of another player for them to kick.
4. A bet that is laid off, i.e. placed with another bookmaker in order to reduce risk.

Forms

Deriveds

postlayoff

Relateds

lay off

Synonyms

downsizing (dismissal of employees) · reduction in force (dismissal of employees) · redundancy (dismissal of employees)

Translations (31)

da fyring (dismissal of employees) · hu leépítés (dismissal of employees) · uk скорочення (dismissal of employees) · ru увольне́ние (dismissal of employees) · es recorte de personal (dismissal of employees) · ru сокраще́ние (dismissal of employees) · ia disopero (dismissal of employees) · hu létszámleépítés (dismissal of employees) · fr chômage technique (dismissal of employees) · sv uppsägning (dismissal of employees) · es despido (dismissal of employees) · fi lomautus (dismissal of employees) · de Entlassung (dismissal of employees) · el προσωρινή απόλυση (dismissal of employees) · ko 일시 해고 (dismissal of employees) · da afskedigelse (dismissal of employees) · de Arbeitsunterbrechung (dismissal of employees) · bg съкращение (dismissal of employees) · da fyringsrunde (dismissal of employees) · fi irtisanominen (dismissal of employees) · ca acomiadament (dismissal of employees) · hy կրճատում (dismissal of employees) · de Kündigung (dismissal of employees) · it esubero (dismissal of employees) · de Personalabbau (dismissal of employees) · fr licenciement économique (dismissal of employees) · de Stellenabbau (dismissal of employees) · zh 裁員 /裁员 (dismissal of employees) · uk звільнення (dismissal of employees) · pl zwolnienie (dismissal of employees) · es reducción del plantel (dismissal of employees)