English verb: lay off | |||
1. | lay off (stative) put an end to a state or an activity | ||
Samples | Quit teasing your little brother. | ||
Synonyms | cease, discontinue, give up, quit, stop | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s something. Somebody ----s VERB-ing | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | break, call it a day, call it quits, cheese, close off, drop, knock off, leave off, pull the plug, retire, shut off, sign off, withdraw | ||
Antonyms | preserve, uphold, carry on, continue, bear on | ||
2. | lay off (social) dismiss, usually for economic reasons | ||
Samples | She was laid off together with hundreds of other workers when the company downsized. | ||
Synonyms | furlough | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s somebody | ||
Broader (hypernym) | can, dismiss, displace, fire, force out, give notice, give the axe, give the sack, sack, send away, terminate | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | downsize | ||