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

When those dollars disappear, organizations must decide whether to cut programs, lay off staff, or close. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025

Because California law requires car washes to have a bond in order to operate, the business was forced to shut down and lay off its workers — the same workers the state was claiming to protect. —Anastasia Boden, Oc Register, 2 Sep. 2025

Saks Fulfillment Center in Rutherford County, 446 workers A Saks Fifth Avenue distribution center in La Vergne will permanently close this year and lay off 446 workers, a WARN notice said. —Molly Davis, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025

Now, a new project aims to bring in fresh drinking water from the billions of gallons of water that lay off the state's west coast – the Pacific Ocean. —New Atlas, 18 Aug. 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.