as in ending
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
you need to lay off eating those jelly doughnuts, or you'll end up looking like one
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laying off
Verb
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Before ending his career, Tanter witnessed another Laker capture the all-time scoring record as James eclipsed Abdul-Jabbar's 38,287 points.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
17 June 2026 -
Iraq came very close to equalizing before halftime, ending the opening half of this match on a manic run.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Apparently, the only thing stopping him from scoring a fourth is Argentina's taking him off the pitch.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
17 June 2026
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Fans can also pick up souvenir maps when stopping at the attraction this summer.—
Chiara Kim,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
Verb
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While this weekend was about celebration, the recent announcement that another USL SL club, the Spokane Zephyr, is ceasing operations after just two seasons, put the overall plans for the league’s growth in question.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
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Determined to focus on peace The ceasefire is looking a little more firing and a little less ceasing this morning.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
28 May 2026
Verb
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The state takeover quickly killed momentum for the 836 extension, with GMX administrators halting a program to acquire land along the planned route.—
Douglas Hanks
June 11,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
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Trustees pointed to previous wage increases that made the district one of the most lucrative in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex as the reason for halting a raise this time around.—
Samuel O’Neal
June 9,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 June 2026
Verb
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According to the Wall Street Journal, the export control directive that led to Anthropic cutting off access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 was triggered in part by cybersecurity research from Amazon and conversations between CEO Andy Jassy and the White House.—
Terrence O'Brien,
The Verge,
13 June 2026
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Steiger's presentation also highlighted how the district has taken measures to reduce spending, like cutting off purchasing cards and decreasing non-school spending.—
Austin Horn
June 11,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Smart power strips can help reduce energy waste by automatically shutting off devices not in use.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
28 May 2026
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Tehran cemented its grip on the Strait of Hormuz; a few more tankers managed to pass through in the last few days, albeit only by either negotiating in advance with Iran, or by shutting off their transponders and racing through.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Something had pulled it out of the tree, breaking off the husky limb on which it was tied.—
William J. McRae,
Outdoor Life,
26 Nov. 2025
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Once enough cars have sped over these fissures, chunks begin breaking off to create those infamous potholes that pop tires and ruin shocks.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Fans of peptides are increasingly cutting out the middleman and ordering directly from gray-market suppliers.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Viking has ranked as the #1 operator of river and ocean cruises for five straight years, has a 54% repeat guest rate, and more than 50% of bookings are made directly with Viking, cutting out the travel agents (and the costs that come with them).—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Laying off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laying%20off. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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