WordWeb Online

1. The act of laying off an employee or a work force
   - redundancy [Brit, Cdn]

1. Put an end to a state or an activity
   "lay off teasing your little brother";
   - discontinue, stop, cease, give up, quit, surcease [archaic]
    
2. Dismiss, usually for economic reasons
   "She was laid off together with hundreds of other workers when the company downsized";
   - furlough [N. Amer]

Derived forms: layoffs, lays off, laying off, laid off

Type of: can [N. Amer, informal], closedown, closing, closure, dismiss, displace, fire, force out, give notice, give the axe [informal], give the sack, sack, send away, shutdown, terminate

Antonym: preserve

Encyclopedia: Layoff