What does 'lay off' mean?

Two main meanings:

1. Dismiss workers (business): To end someone's employment, usually due to budget cuts or restructuring — not because of their performance. This is redundancy.
"The company laid off 200 workers."
"She was laid off during the restructuring."

Important distinction: Being "laid off" is different from being "fired." Fired = dismissed for cause (your fault). Laid off = dismissed for business reasons (not your fault). This matters enormously for self-esteem and references.

2. Stop doing something (informal): To stop an activity, often something irritating.
"Lay off the sugar." = Stop eating so much sugar.
"Lay off him, will you?" = Stop bothering him.

As a noun — layoff: The act of dismissing workers. "The layoffs hit 15% of the workforce."

Register: Meaning 1 is neutral/professional. Meaning 2 is informal, sometimes sharp.

Tags: phrasal verbs, business English, employment, vocabulary