# lay off

> English word · Verb

## Definitions
1. (of an employer) To dismiss (workers) from employment, e.g. at a time of low business volume or through no fault of the worker, often with a severance package.
2. To place all or part of a bet with another bookmaker in order to reduce risk.
3. To cease, quit, stop (doing something).
4. To stop bothering, teasing, or pestering someone; to leave (someone) alone.
5. In painting, to apply gentle strokes to smooth a wet coat of paint so as to remove visible roller- or brush-marks, commonly using a dry brush; a similar technique, but using a loaded laying-off brush, may produce a smooth coat of paint when using a roller or the usual brush techniques would leave marks.
6. To plan out (a navigational course) using a chart.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/lay-off