lay off

British  

verb

1. (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

2. informal (intr) to leave (a person, thing, or activity) alone

   lay off me, will you!

3. (tr, adverb) to mark off the boundaries of

4. (tr, adverb) soccer to pass or deflect (the ball) to a team-mate, esp one in a more advantageous position

5. gambling another term for hedge

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noun

1. the act of suspending employees

2. a period of imposed unemployment

lay off Idioms  

1. 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]

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

3. 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]

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

5. 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

Some of the top companies in tech that already had announced big plans to lay off thousands have revealed more details about where they are cutting in recent government filings.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

The company last month announced it would lay off around 25% of its staff and wind down operations in the United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

In January, management said it would lay off 700 employees, or about 15% of Pinterest’s workforce, as part of a restructuring plan aimed at allocating more resources to artificial intelligence.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026

Amina, whose name has been changed for her safety, says her NGO has lost 90% of its funding and has had to lay off most of its 450 staff.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

The doctors had told him to lay off the caffeine, but he figured they’d make an exception for today.

From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers