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lay off

say it: LAY·awf

to dismiss workers

In Phrasal Verbs

In more detail

1. (phrasal verb) to stop doing something, especially something annoying or harmful

2. (phrasal verb) to dismiss workers from a job, usually temporarily or because there is not enough work

3. (phrasal verb) to leave someone alone or stop bothering them

Examples

• 1. Please lay off the criticism—you're hurting my feelings.
• 2. The company had to lay off 200 employees due to the economic downturn.
• 3. The bullies finally laid off him after he stood up to them.

How to use lay off

This phrasal verb has three distinct uses: telling someone to stop an annoying behavior (informal, direct), dismissing workers due to lack of work or restructuring (formal business context), and leaving someone alone or ceasing to bother them (informal). The meaning is typically clear from context, though the first and third senses are quite close in informal speech.

Common phrases

• lay off the criticism
• lay off work
• lay off employees
• had to lay off staff
• lay off smoking
• lay off pestering someone

Synonyms

stop · cease · quit · cut out · leave alone

Opposites

continue · persist · hire

Word family

layoff (noun)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse the stress and meaning—'lay off' (phrasal verb) is different from 'lay' used as a single verb; also, 'layoff' as a noun (one word) refers specifically to the dismissal of workers, not to stopping an annoying behavior.

Nearby in Phrasal Verbs

iron out, keep up with, kick off, look after, look forward to, look into

Keep going

How to remember the words you read · Spaced repetition, explained