Verb
(third-person singular simple present lays off, present participle laying off, simple past and past participle laid off)
- (of an employer) To dismiss (workers) from employment, e.g. at a time of low business volume, often with a severance package.
- (of a bookmaker) To place all or part of a bet with another bookmaker in order to reduce risk.
- (idiomatic) To cease, quit, stop (doing something).
- Lay off the singing, will you! I'm trying to study.
- When are you gonna lay off smoking?
- (intransitive, idiomatic) To stop bothering, annoying, teasing, pestering, pressuring, being aggressive with, or hovering over someone; to leave (someone) alone.
- Just lay off, okay! I've had enough!
- Things have been better since the boss has been laying off a little.
- I told him to lay off me but he wouldn't stop.
- Lay off it, already!
Usage notes
- In the first two transitive senses the object can come before or after the particle (laid off the whole department). If the object is a pronoun, then it must come before the particle (laid them off).
- In the final two idiomatic "cease" senses, all objects, including pronouns, come after the complete phrase (lay off me!).
