noun · formal
severance
UK/ˈsev(ə)rəns/US/ˈsɛvərəns/SEV·er·ance
Payment or benefits given to an employee upon termination of employment, especially after dismissal.
Examples
“The company offered generous severance packages to affected staff.”
“He received three months' severance after the redundancy.”
“Negotiating fair severance terms can reduce legal disputes after layoffs.”
Band 8 sentence
“Senior staff were offered generous severance packages to accept early retirement and avoid compulsory redundancies.”
Collocations
- severance package
- receive severance
- offer severance pay
Word family
Common mistakes
They received a pension when they were laid off.→They received severance pay when they were laid off.
Say it for a higher band
5leave pay→6redundancy pay→7+severance
Synonyms
redundancy pay
Easily confused
pension
“After thirty years' service she retired on a generous pension.”
Related words
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In Work & Career
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