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
Verb
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The single item that stops new projects is when the Affordable Requirements Ordinance (ARO) is required, with a set-aside of 20% of the units to be rented at below market prices.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026 -
And that’s where the problem stops being technical and starts being structural.—
The AI Insider,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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According to Lewkowitz, if a grower abuses the soil, the system ceases to be viable, leaving zero likelihood of success from a sustainability standpoint.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
27 Apr. 2026
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As this process is the main source of energy produced by the sun, this will mean the outward pressure that stops the sun from collapsing under its own gravity also ceases.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The ideal time to plan for next summer is as soon as the previous summer ends.—
Theo Wolf,
CNBC,
1 May 2026
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The win ends trainer Todd Pletcher’s Derby drought.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
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March 2 Oil and gas prices jumped during the first trading day since the strikes, as the war halts energy exports from the Middle East.—
Emma Graham,Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
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Weather Extremes While snapdragons prefer cool weather, extreme cold, especially a late freeze, halts blooming until temperatures warm.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As the rocket’s core stage cuts off, the zero G indicator will begin to float, identifying the moment when the crew is officially in space.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
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Turning your phone off or using airplane mode cuts off wireless communication while still allowing alarms to work.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Each one of those, in this quantum theory, breaks off into another block of cheese.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Mar. 2026
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State officials compared the project to Boise’s Flying Wye, where the I-184 Connector breaks off from I-84 west of downtown Boise.—
Hali Smith,
Idaho Statesman,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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So nothing shuts off overnight.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
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This shuts off the engine at stoplights or when idling, and restarts it once the accelerator is pressed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Styles and Swift were then spotted out together a handful of times, including in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, before calling it quits in January 2013.—
Allison DeGrushe,
StyleCaster,
28 Apr. 2026
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During season four, Connor Tomlinson and Georgie Harris ended up calling it quits by the season finale.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
25 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Lays off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lays%20off. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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