Definition of "lay off"

lay off

verb
third-person singular simple present lays off, present participle laying off, simple past and past participle laid off
1. (transitive, chiefly US, idiomatic) (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. (transitive, of a bookmaker) To place all or part of a bet with another bookmaker in order to reduce risk.
3. (transitive, idiomatic) To cease, quit, stop (doing something).
4. (transitive and intransitive, idiomatic) To stop bothering, teasing, or pestering someone; to leave (someone) alone.
5. (transitive, intransitive, art) 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. (transitive) To plan out (a navigational course) using a chart.