Thesaurus:lay off

Thesaurus

lay off

English

Verb

Sense: to dismiss from employment

Synonyms

• axe (figurative)
• can (euphemistic, US)
• decruit (euphemistic)
• dehire
• discard
• discharge
• dismiss
• downsize (euphemistic)
• fire
• give the axe
• give someone the boot (UK)
• give someone their cards
• give the chop (idiomatic)
• give the elbow (UK)
• give someone the heave-ho (idiomatic, UK)
• give someone the old heave-ho (idiomatic, UK)
• lay off (idiomatic, chiefly US)
• let go (euphemistic)
• let someone go (idiomatic, euphemistic)
• make redundant
• pink slip (US)
• promote to customer
• retrench
• sack
• serve notice (idiomatic)
• shit-can (vulgar)
• term    [⇒ thesaurus]
• terminate (euphemistic)
• throw out (idiomatic)
• unhire (euphemistic)

Antonyms

• employ
• hire
• recruit
• take on
•   —
• give notice
• leave    [⇒ thesaurus]
• quit    [⇒ thesaurus]
• retire

Hyponyms

• drum out
• strike off
•   —
• discharge
• relieve
•   —
• disbar
• disbench
•   —
• defrock
• disfrock
• unfrock
• unpriest

Hypernyms

• end    [⇒ thesaurus]
• kick out    [⇒ thesaurus]
• punish

Various

• be surplus to requirements (euphemistic, UK)
• get sacked
• get the ax
• get the boot
• get the chop
• get the heave-ho
• get the sack

See also

• Thesaurus:unemployed

Further reading

• “678. disuse” in Roget's Thesaurus, T. Y. Crowell Co., 1911.
• “756. abrogation” in Roget's Thesaurus, T. Y. Crowell Co., 1911.
• “lay off” in Moby Thesaurus II, Grady Ward, 1996.