1
general::
noun the unemployed ADJ. long-term | rural, urban PREP. among the ~ The party's policies were popular among the unemployed. PHRASES the plight of the unemployed, the ranks of the unemployed He graduated with a good degree, only to join the ranks of the unemployed., adj. VERBS be, be registered (as) | become | remain | leave sb, make sb The closure of the factory left hundreds of men unemployed. ADV. currently | newly | still | temporarily | permanently | involuntarily, voluntarily As I was voluntarily unemployed, I wasn't entitled to benefit.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
2
general::
unemployed
someone who is unemployed does not have a job:
• Fifty per cent of the men in this town are unemployed.
out of work
unemployed, especially for a long period of time, when you had a job before:
• I’ve been out of work for two years.
redundant
British English if someone is redundant, they have been told that they no longer have a job:
• He was made redundant earlier this year. • redundant miners
be on the dole
British English , be on welfare/on unemployment American English to be receiving money from the government because you do not have a job:
• I didn’t want to go back on the dole. • Many people on welfare don’t have anyone to take care of the kids while they train for a job.
be looking for work
if someone is looking for work, they do not have a job and are trying to find one:
• How long have you been looking for work?
jobless
people who are jobless do not have jobs – used especially in news reports:
• The jobless totals have risen by 6% in the last year. • jobless youths
Longman-Thesaurus