Definitions

severance pay

NOUN

payout to fired or laid-off worker

Synonyms

WEAK

discontinuance wage dismissal wage golden parachute

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.

Unionized workers at Diageo’s plant in Amherstburg in December ratified a closure agreement that provided enhanced severance pay.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

The draft law reduces severance pay, allows payments in kind and restricts vacation usage, among other proposals that the General Confederation of Labor considers "regressive."

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

The email offered current federal employees the option of around eight months of severance pay, in exchange for an immediate resignation.

From Salon • Feb. 6, 2025

The issue of her severance pay and what’s understood as her ambition for the House of Lords are still hanging around.

From BBC • Oct. 12, 2024

I searched for his severance pay on my desk, wondering who the devil had hired him in the first place.

From With a Vengeance by Woodley, J. B.