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laid off

VERB
stop doing
Synonyms
WEAK
cease desist end give a rest give up halt leave alone leave off let up lie by quit rest spell
Antonyms
WEAK
begin employ hire start
VERB
relieve of responsibility
Synonyms
WEAK
discharge dismiss drop fire let go oust pay off retire early
Antonyms
WEAK
begin employ hire start
laid-off
ADJECTIVE
discharged
Synonyms
STRONGEST
fired freed released sacked
STRONG
axed canned ejected expelled furloughed ousted recalled replaced
WEAK
let go sent away sent home
ADJECTIVE
jobless
Synonyms
WEAK
between jobs collecting unemployment benefits on the dole out of a job out of work without employment without gainful employment workless
ADJECTIVE
out of work
Synonyms
WEAK
between jobs collecting unemployment idle jobless on the dole out of a job unemployed
Antonyms
WEAK
employed
ADJECTIVE
recalled
Synonyms
STRONGEST
canned
STRONG
discharged dismissed displaced fired ousted removed replaced retired suspended
WEAK
brought back let go
ADJECTIVE
unemployed
Synonyms
STRONGEST
idle inactive jobless underemployed
STRONG
down free loafing
WEAK
at liberty between jobs closed-down disengaged fired leisured on layoff on the bench on the dole on the shelf out of a job out of action out of work resting unapplied unengaged unexercised unoccupied unused without gainful employment workless
Antonyms
STRONGEST
active busy working
WEAK
employed occupied

Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for laid-off?
Laid-off is an adjective used to describe someone who has been released from employment. It comes from laid off, the past tense of the verb lay off, meaning to release someone from employment. Laid-off is often applied in phrases such as laid-off workers. Such workers are sometimes described as having been let go. Let go is sometimes used as a more euphemistic way of saying that a worker has been fired or terminated, but these two terms imply that the worker was removed from employment for a cause, such as poor performance or a violation of the rules. In contrast, laid-off is usually used in a more neutral way, simply to indicate that a worker has been discharged or dismissed, often as part of a wider series of dismissals (called layoffs) affecting multiple workers (perhaps because there is not enough work or because the positions are being eliminated). A person who has been laid off due to downsizing, for example, might be said to have been downsized (though this term is more often applied to an entire workforce). Workers who have been temporarily dismissed from work are often described as having been furloughed. In the U.K., the word redundant is used to mean removed or laid off from a job. In broader, economic terms—and more practically speaking—laid-off workers can be described as unemployed.
What is a more professional word for laid-off?
Laid-off is very commonly used, especially in its verb form, and is generally considered a neutral, professional way of indicating that an employee has been discharged. It may be considered euphemistic, but it’s not usually considered as euphemistic as the similar phrase let go (which is also used in the context of firing). Of course, layoffs are always a sensitive topic, regardless of which word is used. Furthermore, many employees may (often rightly) feel that they have been laid off unfairly or unnecessarily and use much stronger language to describe their company’s actions.
Are laid-off and fired the same?
Laid-off and fired suggest different things. Fired implies that the employee has been fired “for cause”—such as poor performance or violating the rules. Laid-off is usually used to indicate that the dismissal from employment is not based on anything the employee did but rather as a result of economic circumstances within the company, such as overall job cuts due to downsizing.

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:

You could ladder TIPS, but also you could ladder CDs or just keep some funds in cash for emergencies, like being laid off.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

This part of the American Midwest was hit badly by last century's de-industrialisation, when those laid off from its once prolific factories sought work on the coasts or migrated to warmer, southern states.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Last week, Netflix laid off about 1,000 employees and named former Disney executive Peter Rice as chief content officer, replacing longtime executive Bela Bajaria.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

Cheng, after getting laid off from two real-estate firms, started taking online classes to learn about software.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

The girls told her not to break her neck—that it was seasonable work and they’d all be laid off when the fall orders had been made up.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

What to know: Two couples’ lives are messily intertwined when one—a wealthy woman with an even wealthier husband—taps the other—a laid-off laborer and his wife—to be the subjects of a documentary.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

This is where severance payments and opportunities for laid-off staff to shift into open roles are discussed, and arguments put forward for some to be reinstated.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

Joe Oliveri started a GoFundMe campaign to support the restaurant and laid-off employees.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

They include novices straight out of education, laid-off construction workers and barbecue business owners seeking new inspiration.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

Barack, for his part, had spent plenty of time listening to laid-off factory workers, young military veterans trying to manage lifelong disabilities, mothers fed up with sending their kids to poorly functioning schools.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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