as in abandoning
to stop doing (something) permanently
we warned him to lay off of the cigarette smoking
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laying off (of)
Verb
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More than a dozen other signs reference a former redlight district, the Civil War, and a presidential party abandoning a leaky ship and swimming to shore.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
11 Mar. 2026 -
Agents exchanged unverified data, and discussed abandoning English in favor of a machine-native language.—
Victoria Bousis,
Rolling Stone,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some of the changes mirror what the organization suggested to the Pentagon in January, including discontinuing its Citizenship in Society merit badge, introducing a Military Service merit badge and waiving registration fees for the children of military personnel.—
Jamie Stengle,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
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Some of the changes mirror what the organization suggested to the Department of Justice earlier this year, which included discontinuing its Citizenship in Society merit badge and introducing a Military Service merit badge, the Pentagon said.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Some nicotine products, including patches and gum, have been shown to nearly double the chances of someone quitting smoking.—
Erica Sweeney,
EverydayHealth.com,
11 Mar. 2026
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National Geographic also reported that heavy drinking and marijuana use directly contribute to declining fertility and that quitting these habits, while also exercising and losing weight, can help.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Benjamin Reinhard, 14, won by correctly spelling the word kenosis, which refers to the act of a Christian person voluntarily giving up their personal rights and ambitions and accepting suffering, according to the spelling bee’s definition.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Mar. 2026
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Family members agreed to a conservation easement in 2015, essentially giving up development rights, and have now sold it for preservation under state ownership.—
John Meyer,
Denver Post,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And the Lancers found their shooting touch, hitting 9-of-13 from the field, including dropping three 3s to take a 32-21 halftime lead.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Mar. 2026
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Traffic through the critical waterway has since ground to a near halt, with vessels being attacked and insurers dropping maritime coverage.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Laying off (of).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laying%20off%20%28of%29. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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