as in ending
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 laying off
Verb
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Ducks captain Radko Gudas, slowed by a lower-body injury, insisted on playing in the rematch of a March 12 game in which his knee-on-knee hit on Auston Matthews led to a season-ending injury for the Toronto captain and a five-game suspension for Gudas.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026 -
The legislation also calls for ending the sales tax on school supplies like pens, pencils, crayons, backpacks and lunchboxes, along with energy efficient appliances for residential use, including washers, dryers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and standard-size refrigerators, among others.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Brooke Bereuter was masterful in goal for Grapevine shutting out Argyle (18-4-3) until the shootout, including stopping a key penalty kick in the first half.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
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And on Monday, March 30, the court upheld the stay, effectively stopping any chance that the execution would happen as scheduled.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In practice, that involved ceasing to provide links or recommendations to official Potter events and products and committing themselves to directly countering the misinformation Rowling was spreading to her vast online audience.—
Séamas O'Reilly,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
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Without ever ceasing to be an artist.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Nasa Worldview | Via Reuters The maritime passage has been almost completely shut by Iran since the war began in late February, effectively halting the shipping of Gulf oil and gas through the strait.—
Holly Ellyatt,Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
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In retaliation for a ground invasion, Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen could attack ships in the Red Sea, halting the flow of oil and cargo via a route that’s been used to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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If this is the case, then cutting off the water supply to this waterfall — to fill a dam or for irrigation, which happens — could harm the fish.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
5 Apr. 2026
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Retail connections faded as foot traffic disappeared, cutting off communication with buyers.—
J.M. Banks
March 21,
Kansas City Star,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Companies could also consider shutting off access to their technology for certain time frames, Rae suggests.—
Kristin Stoller,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
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If someone becomes trapped by suction, shutting off the pump can release the pressure immediately.—
Meghan Schiller,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Throughout the series, the couple navigated major life changes, including Lily’s brief move to San Francisco after breaking off her engagement with Marshall, plus arguments about their respective careers.—
Jane LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
31 Mar. 2026
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Tonga provides an immediate upgrade there, and, at worst, should take some pressure off a secondary that too often had to play superhero on the back end to prevent opposing running backs from breaking off big gains.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Fans of peptides are increasingly cutting out the middleman and ordering directly from gray-market suppliers.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Viking has ranked as the #1 operator of river and ocean cruises for five straight years, has a 54% repeat guest rate, and more than 50% of bookings are made directly with Viking, cutting out the travel agents (and the costs that come with them).—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Laying off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laying%20off. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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