End
End verb - To bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end.
Usage example: unfortunately, an argument ended their date, and they're still not speaking to each other
Lay off
Lay off verb - To bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end.
Usage example: you need to lay off eating those jelly doughnuts, or you'll end up looking like one
End and lay off are semantically related in stop doing topic. Sometimes you can use "End" instead a verb "Lay off".
Both terms in one sentence
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Lynn Matthews ends up taking a swig from Tony Stark's flask at the end of a session spent trying to convince Iron Man, Captain America and Thor to lay off the drinking.
Source: I Need a Freaking Drink - Aside from insisting that Charlotte is to have whatever she wants, the "stops" that come at the end of each sentence—in particular, the final line, "Seriously, mother", make it sound more like he's demanding that his mother lay off.
Source: Telegraph Gag STOP - While the end goal of Kaiju A Gogo is to make every city bend the knee to you, there are times when it's preferable to lay off on a city and let it rebuild so that you can come back and re-harvest resources.
Source: Do Well, but Not Perfect
Cite this Source
Lay off and End. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/end/lay_off
End & Lay off. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/end/lay_off>.
Lay off or End. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/end/lay_off.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "end" and "lay off" have occurred on timeline