lays off

verb

present tense third-person singular of lay off
as in stops
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end you need to lay off eating those jelly doughnuts, or you'll end up looking like one

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lays off
  1. stops
  2. ceases
  3. ends
  4. halts
  5. cuts off
  6. breaks off
  7. shuts off
  8. quits
Verb
  • The metalpoint tool sometimes slips or skitters; the fountain pen sometimes stops working—though, deprived of vision, the artist is unaware, and keeps drawing the now-invisible line.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • There’s a tender, surprising moment of reconciliation in the novel’s final pages — the place where story stops.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of stops
Verb
  • The turf needs this lead time to absorb the nutrients before growth ceases in winter.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Melting then ceases, leaving a thin crust on the surface of the fragment.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of ceases
Verb
  • Those hoping the Iran war ends soon currently face disappointment.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Clarify the roles, choose a timeline, and schedule the next check-in before the conversation ends.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of ends
Verb
  • The stay, granted by administrative judge David Gunter, halts data center development by Townsite Solar 2, LLC.
    — Kris Millgate, Outdoor Life, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Melting polar ice halts the North Atlantic Current, which moves warm ocean currents northeast across the Atlantic.
    — Peter Prengaman, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of halts
Verb
  • However, the closure of the National Tunnel cuts off all travelers at the midpoint.
    — Megan Shinn, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Grylls cuts off the animal’s tongue with a knife and boils it over a campfire.
    — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of cuts off
Verb
  • This is the most significant ice calving event (where ice breaks off of a glacier) seen in the Arctic since 2020.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2026
  • According to the reports, the malfunctions occurred during the ride's signature ‘tilt' portion, where the segment of track containing the ride vehicle breaks off completely and tilts forward 45 degrees before reconnecting to another piece of track at a 90-degree angle to the ground below.
    — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
Definition of breaks off
Verb
  • Getting testosterone from a pill or gel shuts off the body’s natural process for making the hormone.
    — Matthew Perrone, Fortune, 16 July 2026
  • In cool mode, the fan often stays on while the compressor shuts off, which continuously drains power just to push room-temperature air.
    — Sheila Kim, The Spruce, 21 June 2026
Definition of shuts off
Verb
  • And earlier this week, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for June showed a slight pickup in hiring and quits (an indicator of employee confidence) while layoffs were essentially unchanged.
    — Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The band quits when the director releases a swarm of bees onto the set (the original clip featured dogs), only to be replaced by look-alikes.
    — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of quits
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

lays into
lays off
lays off (of)
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Cite this Entry

“Lays off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lays%20off. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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