Lay Off (Verb)
Meaning 1
Put an end to a state or an activity; "Quit teasing your little brother".
Classification
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations.
Examples
- Lay off the sweets, you're going to make yourself sick.
- Stop bothering me and lay off, I'm trying to work.
- You need to lay off smoking if you want to live a healthy life.
- Please lay off the honking, I have a headache.
- The coach told the players to lay off the heavy training for a while.
Synonyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 2
Dismiss, usually for economic reasons; "She was laid off together with hundreds of other workers when the company downsized".
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- The company was forced to lay off several employees due to declining sales and revenue.
- He was laid off from his job as an accountant when the firm merged with a larger corporation.
- Many workers were laid off after the factory relocated its operations to another country.
- She was laid off together with hundreds of other workers when the company downsized.
- The software company laid off nearly half of its employees during the financial crisis.