lay off🔊

(idiom) (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.

(of a bookmaker) To place all or part of a bet with another bookmaker in order to reduce risk. +

(idiomatic) To cease, quit, stop (doing something).

(idiomatic) To stop bothering, teasing, or pestering someone; to leave (someone) alone.

(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. +

To plan out (a navigational course) using a chart.

(spast)