What does “lay off” mean?
lay off
Oh, this one has two meanings — let me give you both!
The first one is about work. If a company "lays off" workers, it means the company stops employing them, usually because there isn't enough money or enough work. Like, "The company laid off 200 people last month." It's not the worker's fault — the job just disappears.
Then there's the casual, everyday meaning — it means "stop doing something" or "leave someone alone." Like if your friend keeps teasing you, you might say "Hey, lay off!" Or if a doctor tells you "lay off the sugar," they mean stop eating so much of it.
So basically, "lay off" either means losing your job due to company problems, or it means just... stop it, back off, cut it out!
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