lay off

present singular third person lays off · participle present laying off · participle past laid off · past laid off

1. USidiomatictransitive(of an employer) To dismiss (workers) from employment, e.g. at a time of low business volume or through no fault of the worker, often with a severance package.

   Four months after arriving in Denver, I was laid off when the pandemic hit. I took on freelance work, whatever I could get, to cover my expenses and stay afloat.

   2026 April 22, Jillian Sanders, “The Danger of Surrendering Your Financial Independence in a Relationship”, in TIME, archived from the original on 22 Apr 2026

   Synonyms: make redundant, let go

2. transitiveTo place all or part of a bet with another bookmaker in order to reduce risk.

   Synonyms: hedge one's bets

3. idiomatictransitiveTo cease, quit, stop (doing something).

   When are you gonna lay off smoking?

   1 more example

   Lay off the singing, will you! I'm trying to study.

4. idiomaticintransitivetransitiveTo stop bothering, teasing, or pestering someone; to leave (someone) alone.

   Lay off it, already!

   4 more examples

   Just lay off, okay! I've had enough!

   Things have been better since the boss has been laying off a little.

   I told him to lay off me but he wouldn't stop.

   First Xavier (Vernon Chatman): You're about as deep as a bowl of soup, and your tongue is as sharp as a soup spoon. Second Xavier (Vernon Chatman): Hey, say what you want about me, but lay off the soup.

   2008, Xavier: Renegade Angel, season 1, episode 10

5. ambitransitiveartIn painting, to apply gentle strokes to smooth a wet coat of paint so as to remove visible roller- or brush-marks, commonly using a dry brush; a similar technique, but using a loaded laying-off brush, may produce a smooth coat of paint when using a roller or the usual brush techniques would leave marks.

   He shows me how to lay off the paint — and moves his paintbrush across the section he had already painted, again and again.

   1 more example

   At any pro paint shop ask for laying off brushes. These are natural bristle, wide, thin brushes designed for tipping off, not for holding a paint load. (Sourced from a web forum exchange)

   Synonyms: tip off

6. transitiveTo plan out (a navigational course) using a chart.

   Synonyms: can, dismiss, fire, sack, terminate, give the axe, give the boot, give their cards

1. pastsimple past of lie off

   Synonyms: axe, decruit, dehire, discard, remove, discharge, downsize, give someone the boot