lays off

verb

present tense third-person singular of lay off
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
  1. stops
  2. ceases
  3. ends
  4. halts
  5. cuts off
  6. breaks off
  7. shuts off
  8. quits
Verb
  • The Miami Dolphins aren’t going to beat an opponent this season until South Florida’s NFL franchise stops beating itself.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026
  • What’s even more interesting is that the pattern persists above the temperature where uranium ditelluride stops being superconducting.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of stops
Verb
  • There is a point beyond which the scale of a threat or a danger ceases to scare us.
    — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The audience ceases to be a destination for your voice and becomes the structure that shapes it.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of ceases
Verb
  • Experts, including Higel, are doubtful that the Iraqi government will be able to disarm the Iran-loyal groups even if war between Iran and the US ends.
    — Sarah Tamimi, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
  • As for what’s going on with the cryptic buying up of team shares, that remains an ongoing mystery for much of the episode — one that ends without Higgins and Rebecca finding out who’s really behind the shenanigans.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of ends
Verb
  • This natural inversion destroys leadership, fractures relationships and halts self-improvement.
    — Brendan Keegan, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • This halts the nuclear fusion process — which involves converting that hydrogen to helium — leading to the stars collapsing and shedding their outer layers to become a white dwarf with around the mass of the sun crammed into the width of Earth.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of halts
Verb
  • However, the closure of the National Tunnel cuts off all travelers at the midpoint.
    — Megan Shinn, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Grylls cuts off the animal’s tongue with a knife and boils it over a campfire.
    — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of cuts off
Verb
  • This is the most significant ice calving event (where ice breaks off of a glacier) seen in the Arctic since 2020.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2026
  • According to the reports, the malfunctions occurred during the ride's signature ‘tilt' portion, where the segment of track containing the ride vehicle breaks off completely and tilts forward 45 degrees before reconnecting to another piece of track at a 90-degree angle to the ground below.
    — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
Definition of breaks off
Verb
  • Most movies are paired with local live acts to fill the air as the crowd mills in or to keep the party going long after the projector shuts off.
    — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Inflation has reached absurd heights, the Lebanese pound is all but worthless, and the government shuts off the electricity for more than half of each day.
    — Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of shuts off
Verb
  • Except that Ruari quits university just days into the term to move back home without explanation.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Enzo abruptly goes off-script, so to speak, and quits the Devillard estate to try his hand at mussel farming and pouf!
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of quits
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

lays into
lays off
lays off (of)
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Cite this Entry

“Lays off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lays%20off. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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