lay off

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• verb transitive (of an employer) To dismiss (workers) from employment, e.g. at a time of low business volume, often with a severance package.
• verb transitive (of a bookmaker) To place all or part of a bet with another bookmaker in order to reduce risk.
• verb transitive, idiomatic To cease, quit, stop (doing something).
• verb transitive and intransitive, idiomatic To stop bothering, annoying, teasing, pestering, pressuring, being aggressive with, or hovering over someone; to leave (someone) alone.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• verb dismiss, usually for economic reasons
• verb put an end to a state or an activity