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Definitions

lay off

VERB
stop doing
Synonyms
WEAK
cease desist end give a rest halt leave alone leave off let up lie by quit rest spell
Antonyms
WEAK
begin start
VERB
relieve of responsibility
Synonyms
WEAK
discharge dismiss drop fire let go oust pay off retire early
Antonyms
WEAK
employ hire

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.

Guevara-Prete says the downturn caused her to lay off most of her eight employees, and ultimately, she found herself taking out a few ill-advised business loans with less-than-favorable interest rates.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

The report, citing sources familiar with the matter, said that Meta plans to lay off about 10% of its global workforce, or close to 8,000 employees, in that initial round.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

Do you expect your company to lay off workers this year?

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Shares of Snap surged in Wednesday premarket trading after the Snapchat parent said it would lay off 16% of its full-time employees in an effort to cut costs and reduce workforce overlap.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

All that night I drifted, and in the sunrise, sure enough, I lay off Skylla mountain and Kharybdis deep.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer