1
as in to put
to arrange something in a certain spot or position
just lay the book over there on the table for now
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Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in to impose
to establish or apply as a charge or penalty
state officials tried to lay a tax on merchandise sold over the Internet
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4
as in to prepare
to make ready in advance
she's laying plans for the charity auction months ahead of time
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5
as in to spread
to put a layer of on a surface
the mason laid mortar over the first row of bricks before starting the second
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
7
as in to ascribe
to explain (something) as being the result of something else
an electrical fire that was laid to faulty wiring
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8
as in to bury
to place (a dead body) in the earth, a tomb, or the sea
lay the corpse to rest
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1
2
as in ballad
a short musical composition for the human voice often with instrumental accompaniment
she sang a short lay in dedication to her husband
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as in work
the activity by which one regularly makes a living
my main lay is as a general contractor, but I do side work as a carpenter
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as in laic
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Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of lay
Phil Clark, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2017
Whether viewed as a romp, a relic, or a route to commiseration, the series about four friends trying to find love (or at least a good lay) in the world’s most competitive concrete jungle has stood the test of time.
—John Ortved, Vogue, 29 June 2024
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2024
Almost all of that — the risk calculus, the debate — was invisible to the lay visitor on the opening afternoon.
—Eric Boodman, STAT, 16 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for lay 
Noun
These courts, which sat every week under trees and in village courtyards across Rwanda, heard more than one million cases and were overseen by lay judges who could hand down sentences as severe as life imprisonment (although most consisted merely of community service).
—Phil Clark, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2017
Whether viewed as a romp, a relic, or a route to commiseration, the series about four friends trying to find love (or at least a good lay) in the world’s most competitive concrete jungle has stood the test of time.
—John Ortved, Vogue, 29 June 2024
Adjective
The Legislature passed the measure idly as a meaningless gift to its drafter, John W. Butler, a lay preacher who hadn’t passed any other bill.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2024
Almost all of that — the risk calculus, the debate — was invisible to the lay visitor on the opening afternoon.
—Eric Boodman, STAT, 16 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for lay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay
Verb
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The post-family worldview is really like putting kids on a floating piece of debris in the ocean.Caleb Harris, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
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This puts the watch in stark contrast to regular production watches we’re used to seeing, and shows Smith’s passion for machining and finishing every component in house.Blake Buettner, Robb Report, 22 Nov. 2024
Verb
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For the coda, Shostakovich and Mravinsky apparently settled on a metronome marking of eighth note = 184 or 188.Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2024
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Lucius Elliot, head of contemporary marquee auctions, said in the period between securing consignments for the November auctions and actually selling them this week, the market had settled.Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
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But the court found that narrow limits can be imposed to serve overriding state interests.Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Nov. 2024
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Brazilian Supreme Court’s Justice Alexandre de Moraes imposed the ban, citing misinformation on X, which the judge felt was not adequately moderated on the platform.Andrea Margolis, Fox News, 20 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Christmas, on the other hand, takes weeks and months to prepare for.Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 22 Nov. 2024
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Build excitement and awareness (and emotionally prepare people for upcoming changes) with tools like teaser emails and environmental signage.Jill Collins, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
Verb
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For example, a $10M bet for an outcome versus $500 spread across multiple small bets could reflect one wealthy trader's position rather than true crowd sentiment.Andrey Sergeenkov, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
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This activity will spread into the East Wednesday night.Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Election betting platforms brought in billions of dollars as users around the world wagered on who would win Tuesday’s U.S. presidential election, according to an NBC News analysis of betting platforms.Bruna Horvath, NBC News, 9 Nov. 2024
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This decrease is attributed to lower marketing expenses and betting limits.Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Yet none of the genomes showed more than one percent European ancestry, a fraction low enough to be ascribed to a spurious statistical fluke.John Timmer, Ars Technica, 11 Sep. 2024
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Data collected in the late 1800s and early 1900s suggested different races have different lung capacities, a phenomenon researchers ascribed to innate biology rather than social, economic or environmental factors.Cassandra Willyard, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024
Verb
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But Rahman points to a specific example buried in the documentation that sheds some more light.Allison Johnson, The Verge, 22 Nov. 2024
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The counts include two instances where the wrong bodies were buried.Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 22 Nov. 2024
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Thesaurus Entries Near lay
Cite this Entry
“Lay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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