lay off

verb

laid off; laying off; lays off

transitive verb

1

: to mark or measure off

2

: to cease to employ (a worker) often temporarily

3

of a bookie : to place all or part of (an accepted bet) with another bookie to reduce the risk

4

a

: to leave undisturbed

b

: avoid, quit

was advised to lay off smoking and alcohol

c

: to refrain from swinging at (a pitch)

intransitive verb

1

: to stop doing or taking something

2

: to leave one alone

wish you'd just lay off

Synonyms of lay off

• stop
• cease
• end
• halt
• cut off
• shut off
• quit
• cut out
• leave off
• break off

Examples of lay off in a Sentence

you need to lay off eating those jelly doughnuts, or you'll end up looking like one

Recent Examples on the Web

But now that the bill is due, some policymakers are having to raise taxes, and in the worst cases, cut district budgets and lay off educators. —Editorial Board, Washington Post, 3 June 2026

But the fiercest headwind could be declining enrollment, which will inevitably force leaders to close schools, lay off staff and consolidate services. —Mercury News Editorial Board, Mercury News, 27 May 2026

The Guida-Seibert Dairy Company has decided to completely close its New Britain facility and lay off more than 200 workers, records show. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 May 2026

Many owners spent decades building their companies and bristle at the idea of selling to traditional private equity or a bigger company that could restructure their business, lay off employees, and jeopardize their legacy. —Alex Amouyel, Fortune, 14 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1748, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for lay off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff

Kids Definition

layoff

1 of 2 noun

lay·​off ˈlā-ˌȯf 

1

: the act of laying off an employee or a work force

2

: a period during which there is no activity

lay off

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)lā-ˈȯf

1

: to mark or measure off

2

: to stop employing (a person) often temporarily

lay off workers

3

: to stop doing or taking something

lay off of that stuff