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 global oil surplus should help commercial stockpiles bounce back, particularly if the rest of the world stops relying so much on the United States as the petroleum producer of last resort.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
  • If exception paths are undocumented, AI either stops too early or acts with false confidence.
    — Sanjay Srivastava, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of stops
Verb
  • This is not only devastating because Aang appears fatally injured, but because if an Avatar dies in the Avatar State, the entire cycle of Avatar reincarnation ceases and the earth’s balance is forever lost.
    — Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026
  • What is surprising—indeed, almost shocking—is when a particular fashion ceases to change.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026
Definition of ceases
Verb
  • The funeral, which ends Thursday, was supposed to be a period of lower tensions.
    — Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • Kentucky’s Senate succession law, which Republican legislators have twice changed during Beshear’s tenure, does not give the governor a role in picking a temporary successor should McConnell’s seat become vacant before his term ends.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026
Definition of ends
Verb
  • The countywide legislation halts zoning and permitting processes for data centers and BESS sites in unincorporated areas of Jackson County for 180 days, which sponsor Sean Smith and other legislators have said will create time for the county to set more detailed permanent land use policies.
    — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 25 June 2026
  • But the publishing machine never quite halts, and the coming months do star a (smaller) collection of exciting new releases.
    — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 25 June 2026
Definition of halts
Verb
  • Becoming an upper-middle-income country also cuts off development funding from organizations like the World Bank.
    — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 3 July 2026
  • Waymo cuts off firetruck with sirens, lights running In a video posted on TikTok on June 18, a Waymo vehicle turned into a lane in Atlanta's entertainment district where a firetruck was driving the wrong direction.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 24 June 2026
Definition of cuts off
Verb
  • 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
  • If the mouthpiece breaks off, try to remove it without digging into the skin.
    — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 8 June 2026
Definition of breaks off
Verb
  • 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
  • Sena says the headlight automatically shuts off after 10 minutes in a bid to preserve battery life.
    — Utkarsh Sood June 07, New Atlas, 7 June 2026
Definition of shuts off
Verb
  • However, consumers and retailers shouldn’t call it quits on big fits just yet.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 24 June 2026
  • This solution could even be moved from space to space as needed, though that would involve more hefting than most of us would be happy undertaking more than a few times before calling it quits.
    — Paul Ridden June 22, New Atlas, 22 June 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 10 Jul. 2026.

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