lay off

Fetched 2026-11-04 (live).

Synonyms: layoff, pay off, day off, way off, play off, lay-off, lays off

Antonyms: layoff, pay off, day off, way off, play off, lay-off, lays off

Related words from Datamuse; suggestions, not definitions.

Verb

(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.
To place all or part of a bet with another bookmaker in order to reduce risk.
To cease, quit, stop (doing something).
- Lay off the singing, will you! I'm trying to study.
- When are you gonna lay off smoking?
To stop bothering, teasing, or pestering someone; to leave (someone) alone.
- 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.
- Lay off it, already!
In 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.
- 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)
- He shows me how to lay off the paint — and moves his paintbrush across the section he had already painted, again and again.
To plan out (a navigational course) using a chart.

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wiktionary) · cached copy, not a rewrite.