Lay off
Synonyms for lay off
verb stop doing
cease
desist
end
halt
leave off
let up
quit
rest
spell
give a rest
give up
leave alone
lie by
Antonyms for lay off
hire
begin
start
employ
Synonyms
verb relieve of responsibility
discharge
dismiss
drop
fire
oust
let go
pay off
retire early
Antonyms
hire
begin
start
employ
Usage Notes
Lay1 and lie2 are often confused. Lay is most commonly a transitive verb and takes an object. Its forms are regular. If “place” or “put” can be substituted in a sentence, a form of lay is called for: Lay the folders on the desk. The mason is laying brick. She laid the baby in the crib. Lay also has many intransitive senses, among them “to lay eggs” (The hens have stopped laying), and it forms many phrasal verbs, such as lay off “to dismiss (from employment)” or “to stop annoying or teasing” and lay over “to make a stop.” Lie, with the overall senses “to be in a horizontal position, recline” and “to rest, remain, be situated, etc.,” is intransitive and takes no object. Its forms are irregular; its past tense form is identical with the present tense or infinitive form of lay: Lie down, children. Abandoned cars were lying along the road. The dog lay in the shade and watched the kittens play. The folders have lain on the desk since yesterday. In all but the most careful, formal speech, forms of lay are commonly heard in senses normally associated with lie. In edited written English such uses of lay are rare and are usually considered nonstandard: Lay down, children. The dog laid in the shade. Abandoned cars were laying along the road. The folders have laid on the desk since yesterday.
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Synonyms for lay on the line verb put in jeopardy threaten expose imperil menace hazard chance peril risk venture be careless chance it lay open leave defenseless leave in the middle make liable put at risk put in danger put on the spot subject to loss play into one’s hands stick one’s neck out Antonyms […]
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Synonyms for lay on the table verb delay, hold off defer rule out waive bar halt eject interrupt put off discontinue withhold shelve arrest cease file reject adjourn exclude postpone stay retard debar omit hang pigeonhole procrastinate eliminate protract check can break up count out cut short hold up lay off stave off pink-slip prorogue […]
- Lay on thick
Synonyms for lay on thick verb brag advertise shovel crow gasconade flaunt fake bully blow swagger prate exult sling strut grandstand gloat flourish shuck shoot glory exaggerate preen triumph puff vapor bluster aggrandize con show off jive cock-a-doodle-doo showboat attract attention blow smoke congratulate oneself flatter oneself give a good account of oneself hug oneself […]