How do you use "lay off" in a sentence?

The factory laid off 200 workers. Lay off the junk food! She was laid off during the recession.

lay off

Q: What does "lay off" mean?

To dismiss employees or stop doing something To terminate employment, usually due to economic reasons. Also informally means to stop bothering someone.

Phrasal Verb BritishAmericanAustralian ★★★★★ Very Common Neutral

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Meaning: To dismiss employees or stop doing something

解雇员工或停止做某事

Despedir empleados o dejar de hacer algo

従業員を解雇する、または何かをやめる

직원을 해고하거나 무언가를 그만두다

To terminate employment, usually due to economic reasons. Also informally means to stop bothering someone.

终止雇佣关系，通常是由于经济原因。口语中也表示停止打扰某人。

Terminar el empleo, normalmente por razones económicas. Informalmente también significa dejar de molestar a alguien.

通常は経済的な理由で雇用を終了すること。口語では誰かに干渉するのをやめるという意味もあります。

주로 경제적 이유로 고용을 종료하는 것을 의미한다. 비격식적으로는 누군가를 그만 괴롭히라는 뜻도 있다.

Base verb: lay

Particle: off

Separable: Yes — the object can go between the verb and particle

Examples

The factory laid off 200 workers.
工厂解雇了200名工人
La fábrica despidió a 200 trabajadores
工場は200人の労働者を解雇した
공장이 200명의 근로자를 해고했어요.
Lay off the junk food!
别吃垃圾食品了！
¡Deja la comida basura!
ジャンクフードはやめなさい！
정크푸드 좀 그만 먹어!
She was laid off during the recession.
她在经济衰退期间被解雇了
La despidieron durante la recesión
彼女は不況時に解雇された
그녀는 불경기 때 해고당했어요.

Pronunciation

Usage Guide

Context: employment, warnings

Tone: serious or casual

✓ Do Say

They were laid off
他们被解雇了
Los despidieron
彼らは解雇された
그들은 해고당했어
Lay off!
住手！
¡Déjalo ya!
やめてくれ！
그만해!

Origin & History

From setting workers aside from their duties.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal