layoffs
layoffs — noun
1. occasions when a company ends workers' jobs, sometimes for a short time only, be
occasions when a company ends workers' jobs, sometimes for a short time only, because there is not enough money coming in or not enough work to be done.
The factory announced 300 layoffs after losing its biggest customer last month.
announce + [number] layoffs
Yuna feared layoffs were coming when the company cancelled all new hiring.
layoffs as a warning signal
Bank workers in Singapore have faced waves of layoffs since the merger began.
Many small shops in town survived the pandemic by avoiding any layoffs at all.
Mass layoffs at the tech firm left hundreds of families in Bangalore without income.
- redundancies
British equivalent; same business meaning of cutting jobs
- job cuts
more general; covers any reduction in jobs including layoffs
- downsizing
describes the wider process of shrinking the workforce, not single events
- hiring
the opposite business action: taking on new workers
文法句型
mass/round of layoffs
announce/face layoffs
用法筆記
Almost always used in the plural in news and business contexts. Subject is usually a company, factory, or whole industry; object/target is workers as a group, not one named person.
常見錯誤
2. stretches of time when a person is not doing their normal job or playing their s
stretches of time when a person is not doing their normal job or playing their sport, often because of injury or illness.
Vikram returned to the cricket pitch after a six-month layoff for knee surgery.
[length] layoff for [reason]
The tennis star played her first match in Melbourne after a long layoff.
long layoff
Rachid felt slow and stiff in training after a three-week layoff from running.
A short layoff between projects gave Élise time to repaint her studio in Marseille.
- return
the act of coming back to work or play after a layoff
文法句型
a layoff from [activity]
a [length] layoff
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is a personal rest period (no employer dismissing anyone), often after sport injury or between contracts. Frequently follows a length expression: 'a six-month layoff', 'a long layoff'.
3. in football, soft little passes back to a teammate running forward, so that team
in football, soft little passes back to a teammate running forward, so that teammate can keep moving fast and shoot or carry the ball ahead.
Andrés scored with a half-volley from a clever layoff by his striker partner.
score from a layoff
Brazilian midfielders are famous for quick layoffs that open up the defence.
quick layoffs (plural collocation)
A neat layoff from Shanti let the winger run straight at the goal.
The coach drilled the team on layoffs and one-touch passing all morning.
- back pass
a pass back to a teammate, but often to a defender or goalkeeper rather than a runner
- knock-down
a header or chest-pass that drops the ball for a teammate; similar function
文法句型
a layoff to [player]
play a layoff
用法筆記
Only used in football (soccer) commentary and training contexts; not used in other sports. Often paired with 'one-touch' or 'quick' to stress the speed of the pass.