lie off

verb

lay off; lain off; lying off; lies off

intransitive verb

1

: to hold back in the early part of a race

2

: to keep a little away from the shore or another ship

3

: to cease work for a time

Examples of lie off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As tech giants lay off thousands of workers to make way for AI, the CEO of the $8 billion food company Ingredion says real people are still the most important ingredient for a successful business. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 11 July 2025

The waterway lies off Kyushu, the southernmost Japanese main island. —Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025

But the Trump administration’s budget proposal for 2026 seeks to slice the space agency’s budget by one-quarter, lay off thousands of employees and end financing for a slew of current and future missions. —Jonathan Swan, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 May 2025

Institutions lost billions of dollars in revenue, most of them were forced to enact large budget cuts, furlough or lay off staff and faculty, and shutter academic programs. —Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1573, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lie off

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

Video

Lay vs. Lie

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.