Phrase guide

pink slip

noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A notice of termination of employment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, metonymically

Examples

  • 2008, Warren Richard Plunkett, Raymond F. Attner, Gemmy S. Allen, Management: Meeting and Exceeding Customer Expectations, Thomson, 9th Edition, page 400, Oracle chose a weekend in which to notify PeopleSoft employees of their termination: the company sent them pink slips via express mail.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The title document for an automobile.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An automobile roadworthiness inspection certificate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia, New-South-Wales

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To terminate the employment of.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, informal, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fire, let go, sack, axe, can, decruit, dehire, discard, remove, discharge, dismiss, downsize, give the axe, give someone the boot, give someone their cards, give the chop, give the elbow, give someone the heave-ho, give someone the old heave-ho, lay off, let someone go, make redundant, pink slip, promote to customer, retrench, serve notice, shit-can, term, terminate, throw out, unhire

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

official notice that you have been fired from your job

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dismissal, dismission

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: notice

Narrower terms: walking papers, marching orders

History

Etymology

From pink + slip (“piece of paper”), referring to the colour of the paper, in some cases as it was in past, and not necessarily present, practice. * (automobile title): Most likely from California, where the title is printed on a smaller index-card sized piece of pink paper; in other states the title is typically a full-size 8 1/2" x 11" sheet, usually printed on blue or blue-green paper with borders, similar to a stock certificate.

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: C4 — notice of termination of employment
  • Finnish: irtisanomisilmoitus — notice of termination of employment
  • German: blauer Brief — notice of termination of employment
  • Thai: ซองขาว (sɔɔng-kǎao) — notice of termination of employment
  • Finnish: rekisteriote — title for an automobile
  • Spanish: título automotor / automotriz — title for an automobile
  • Finnish: katsastustodistus — auto inspection certificate