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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From The Dean, everything is either walkable, a few stops away on the central tram line, or a short, affordable taxi ride—which is the Dubliner’s choice for quick transport.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Mar. 2026 -
The perfect partner for the Spray-To-Wipe is the new All Over Deodorant, a whole-body natural deodorant that genuinely stops you from smelling.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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At that point the lines painted on the asphalt turn from cages into features of the landscape among many others, and the mysterious flying object ceases to be easily recognizable.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
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Once the prisoner ceases his danse macabre, the crowd goes wild.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Before Colbert’s late night CBS talk show ends on Thursday, May 21, 2026, his buddy and competitor Jimmy Fallon was sure to drop by the Ed Sullivan Theater and drop some well wishes.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Mar. 2026
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Once the season ends, the Gophers plan to apply for medical redshirts on behalf of Willis and Vaihola.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The United States could suspend transfers of those funds unless Baghdad halts the financing of the PMF.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
6 Mar. 2026
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The moratorium halts approvals for sewer capacity allocation for new developments within the Baltimore City Sewer Service Area (SSA), according to the department.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
4 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
-
Mahama breaks off in exasperation.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
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The scene where ‘80s teen Marty McFly borrows a scooter from a bewildered ‘50s kid and breaks off the handles to make a skateboard is one of the film’s most iconic moments.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Users can set overall Downtime, which shuts off all phone activity during a set period of their choice.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Feb. 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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And the quits rate of workers voluntarily leaving their jobs — which can reflect their degree of confidence in the job market — stayed relatively low at around 2% throughout 2025.—
Sarah Jackson,
CNBC,
28 Feb. 2026
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The pedal-assist, however, quits helping at 25km/h (16mph) in Europe.—
Thomas Ricker,
The Verge,
28 Feb. 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 10 Mar. 2026.
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