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freisetzen

to lay off

verb FRY-zet-sen Rare
People & Society Work

Also means

to make redundant

Usage Note

freisetzen is a formal or euphemistic term for making employees redundant, typically for economic reasons. It is often used in corporate or official language; less formal equivalents are entlassen or rauswerfen.

Examples

"Der Konzern setzte im Zuge der Restrukturierung 500 Stellen frei."

Natural Translation

The group laid off 500 positions as part of the restructuring.

Literal Translation

The group set-free in the course of the restructuring 500 positions.

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