View synonyms for

lay off

verb

(tr, adverb) to suspend (workers) from employment with the intention of re-employing them at a later date
the firm had to lay off 100 men
informal��(intr) to leave (a person, thing, or activity) alone
lay off me, will you!
(tr, adverb) to mark off the boundaries of
(tr, adverb) soccer to pass or deflect (the ball) to a team-mate, esp one in a more advantageous position
gambling another term for hedge

noun

the act of suspending employees
a period of imposed unemployment

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Idioms and Phrases

Terminate a person from employment. For example, When they lost the contract, they had to lay off a hundred workers . This expression formerly referred to temporary dismissals, as during a recession, with the idea that workers would be hired back when conditions improved, but with the tendency of businesses to downsize in the 1990s it came to mean “terminate permanently.” [First half of 1800s]

Mark off the boundaries, as in Let's lay off an area for a flower garden . [Mid-1700s]

Stop doing something, quit, as in Lay off that noise for a minute, so the baby can get to sleep , or She resolved to lay off smoking . [Early 1900s]

Stop bothering or annoying someone, as in Lay off or I'll tell the teacher . [ Slang ; c. 1900]

Place all or part of a bet with another bookmaker so as to reduce the risk. For example, Some bookmakers protect themselves by laying off very large bets with other bookmakers . [Mid-1900s]

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The company laid off 40 employees in June and had to terminate its TV deal with Professional Bull Riders after failing to pay its rights fee.

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Warner Music Group will lay off an unspecified number of employees as part of a months-long restructuring plan to cut costs, Chief Executive Robert Kyncl said in a memo to staff Tuesday.

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"I've been laid off for a long time, getting myself back together, repairing myself emotionally. It is just nice to be back in the ring. This is a new beginning for me," the 39-year-old said.

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Without additional funding, workers will be laid off.

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement wrote regional ICE directors telling them to lay off farms, along with restaurants and hotels.

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layoff lay of the land

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