Akademik

lay off
verb
1. put an end to a state or an activity (Freq. 3)
-

Quit teasing your little brother

Syn: ↑discontinue, ↑stop, ↑cease, ↑give up, ↑quit
Ant: ↑continue (for: ↑discontinue)
Derivationally related forms: ↑cessation (for: ↑cease), ↑cease (for: ↑cease), ↑stop (for: ↑stop), ↑stoppage (for: ↑stop), ↑discontinuation (for: ↑discontinue), ↑discontinuance (for: ↑discontinue)
Hyponyms:
drop, ↑knock off, ↑leave off, ↑sign off, ↑retire, ↑withdraw, ↑pull the plug, ↑shut off, ↑close off, ↑cheese, ↑call it quits, ↑call it a day, ↑break
Verb Frames:
-

Somebody ——s something

-

Something ——s something

-

Somebody ——s VERB-ing

-

Somebody ——s to INFINITIVE

(for: ↑cease)
-

Somebody ——s to INFINITIVE

(for: ↑stop)
2. dismiss, usually for economic reasons (Freq. 1)
-

She was laid off together with hundreds of other workers when the company downsized

Syn: ↑furlough
Derivationally related forms: ↑layoff
Hypernyms:
displace, ↑fire, ↑give notice, ↑can, ↑dismiss, ↑give the axe, ↑send away, ↑sack, ↑force out, ↑give the sack, ↑terminate
Hyponyms: ↑downsize
Verb Frames:
-

Somebody ——s somebody

* * *

informal give up

I laid off smoking for seven years

[usu. in imperative] used to advise someone to stop doing something

lay off-he's not going to tell you

* * *

lay off [phrasal verb]
1 lay (someone) off or lay off (someone) : to stop employing (someone) because there is not enough work

The company has had to lay off most of the staff.

Costs have increased and many workers have been laid off. [=let go]

— see also layoff
2 lay off (something) informal : to stop doing, using, eating, or drinking (something)

You should lay off the late nights. [=you should stop staying up so late]

My doctor advised me to lay off caffeine.

He's a much nicer person since he laid off the booze. [=since he stopped drinking alcohol]

I need to lay off fatty foods and lose some weight.

3 lay off or lay off (someone) informal : to leave someone alone : to stop annoying someone

I wish you'd just lay off!

Lay off me! [=stop bothering me]

• • •
Main Entry:lay

* * *

ˌlay ˈoff | ˌlay ˈoff sb/sth derived
(informal) used to tell sb to stop doing sth

Lay off me will you— it's nothing to do with me.

\lay off doing sth

Lay off bullying Jack.

Main entry:layderived

Useful english dictionary. 2012.