lay off

verb

1. tr, adverb to suspend (workers) from employment with the intention of re-employing them at a later date

   the firm had to lay off 100 men

2. informal.
   intr to leave (a person, thing, or activity) alone

   lay off me, will you!

3. tr, adverb to mark off the boundaries of
4. tr, adverb soccer to pass or deflect (the ball) to a team-mate, esp one in a more advantageous position
5. gambling another term for hedge

noun

1. the act of suspending employees
2. a period of imposed unemployment

Example Sentences

It recalibrated its podcast strategy and laid off employees.

From Los Angeles Times

Amazon will not lay off any employees due to the change, the company said.

From Los Angeles Times

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is preparing to lay off hundreds of employees this week, director Laurie Leshin said in a memo to staff sent Tuesday afternoon.

From Los Angeles Times

But gone are the days when a remote tech job translated to real stability; two weeks after we moved to New York, John was laid off.

From Salon

In business, Musk has become known for his opposition to perceived government overregulation and his approach to cost-cutting - most notably after he took over Twitter, which he rebranded X and laid off thousands of staff.

From BBC