as in stops
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 lays off
Verb
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Much of physicists’ intuition stops being helpful in an expanding universe.—
Shalma Wegsman,
Quanta Magazine,
30 Mar. 2026 -
The run hits major arenas including Chase Center in San Francisco, United Center in Chicago, TD Garden in Boston and stops across Canada, before closing out at the band’s home turf.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In a different scenario, assigned a probability of 60%, the conflict ceases at the end of this month and oil prices fall quickly.—
Hanna Ziady,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
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When reputation replaces repentance, the church ceases to reflect Christ’s character.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The move will allow TSA employees to get their paychecks as early as March 30 instead of waiting for back pay after the shutdown ends.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
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Loose ends and compelling payoffs await after a subdued and slow-ish first frame that struggles with a balance between dark brooding and uneven lull.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Global oil prices have spiked as Iran halts traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, where one-fifth of the world’s oil typically passes through from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.—
Raf Sanchez,
NBC news,
19 Mar. 2026
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Debt consolidation does not carry a legal mechanism that immediately halts wage garnishment the way bankruptcy does, at least not in most forms.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Turning your phone off or using airplane mode cuts off wireless communication while still allowing alarms to work.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
3 Feb. 2026
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The drug cuts off access to vitamin A in the testes by blocking a receptor known as RAR alpha.—
Ana Castelain,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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State officials compared the project to Boise’s Flying Wye, where the I-184 Connector breaks off from I-84 west of downtown Boise.—
Hali Smith,
Idaho Statesman,
11 Mar. 2026
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Mahama breaks off in exasperation.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This shuts off the engine at stoplights or when idling, and restarts it once the accelerator is pressed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
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This device recognizes when nature brings the water that your lawn needs and shuts off automatic sprinklers.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That’s a refreshingly honest reason for calling it quits, and an understandable one.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
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Governing body head quits Yet this year’s festival comes at a time of crisis in British racing.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Lays off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lays%20off. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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