lay off
Britishverb
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(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
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informal (intr) to leave (a person, thing, or activity) alone
lay off me, will you!
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(tr, adverb) to mark off the boundaries of
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(tr, adverb) soccer to pass or deflect (the ball) to a team-mate, esp one in a more advantageous position
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gambling another term for hedge
noun
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the act of suspending employees
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a period of imposed unemployment
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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]
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Mark off the boundaries, as in Let's lay off an area for a flower garden . [Mid-1700s]
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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]
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Stop bothering or annoying someone, as in Lay off or I'll tell the teacher . [ Slang ; c. 1900]
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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]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Egeland said the NRC was forced to lay off "female aid workers and female teachers on the primary school level for girls because we don't have enough money".
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Losing it could exacerbate financial struggles that have already caused some colleges to cut programs, lay off staff, and even close.
From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2026
On Wednesday, Uber said it would lay off about 10% of its staff to trim management layers and streamline divisions, with plans to reinvest the savings in its future.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Out of his area to control and lay off a pass to Shaw at one point.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
At last report, the Baratheon fleet still lay off Storm's End, where Ser Cortnay Penrose continued to defy the besiegers in dead Renly's name.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
