pink slip
pink slip — noun
1. A written notice from a company that tells a worker their job has ended or will
A written notice from a company that tells a worker their job has ended or will end soon.
Lakshmi found a pink slip in her envelope and realized she had been let go.
collocation: find + a pink slip; informal register
The manager handed Hiro a pink slip after the company's budget cuts were announced.
give + someone + a pink slip
Dozens of factory workers received pink slips when the plant closed down.
Jabari kept the pink slip as a reminder of the day he lost his job.
- termination notice
more formal; used in official HR language
- dismissal letter
slightly more formal; emphasizes the written format
- layoff notice
specifically for group dismissals due to business changes
- employment contract
the document that begins a job, not ends it
- job offer letter
a letter inviting someone to start work
文法句型
receive + a pink slip
give + someone + a pink slip
用法筆記
Often appears with the verbs 'give,' 'hand,' 'receive,' or 'get.' The term refers to a literal document — not just the idea of being fired.
常見錯誤
pink slip — verb
- pink slippresent simple I / you / we / they
- pinks slip3rd person singular
- pinking slip-ing form
- pinked slippast simple
1. To end a worker's employment with a business, usually because the company no lon
To end a worker's employment with a business, usually because the company no longer needs them or cannot afford them.
The company pink-slipped three hundred employees after the merger fell through.
transitive: pink-slip + [number] + employees
Talia worried that her department would be pink-slipped next quarter.
passive: be pink-slipped
Noor was pink-slipped after working at the store for only two months.
The startup pink-slipped half its team when the investors pulled their funding.
文法句型
pink-slip + someone
be pink-slipped
用法筆記
The past tense is spelled with a hyphen: 'pink-slipped.' This verb is informal and most common in American English. The passive form ('was pink-slipped') is used more often than the active form.
常見錯誤
pink slip — idiom
1. The event or situation in which a person is told by their employer that they no
The event or situation in which a person is told by their employer that they no longer have a job.
The threat of a pink slip hung over every worker during the restructuring.
idiomatic use: the threat of a pink slip
Lara knew that a pink slip was a real possibility after missing three deadlines.
After ten years of loyal service, Iris never expected to receive a pink slip.
The union negotiated better severance pay for anyone who got a pink slip.
Ari's friends were shocked when they heard he had received a pink slip.
- dismissal
more formal; refers to the act itself
- termination
formal HR term for ending employment
- walking papers
informal American idiom; same meaning
- employment
the state of having a job
文法句型
get + a pink slip
receive + a pink slip
a pink slip
用法筆記
This is the idiomatic sense of the noun phrase as a concept. Unlike the noun sense ('pink slip' as a physical document), this sense refers to the event or condition of being dismissed. Distinguish from noun/1, which refers to the paper notice itself.