lay on

British  

verb

1. to provide or supply

   to lay on entertainment

2. to install

   to lay on electricity

3. informal

   1. to exaggerate, esp when flattering

   2. to charge an exorbitant price

   3. to punish or strike harshly

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lay on Idioms  

1. Cover with, apply; also, use. For example, He decided to lay on a second coat of primer , or She laid on a thick Southern accent . [c. 1600] Also see lay it on thick .

2. Inflict blows, attack, as in “Lay on, Macduff; and damn'd be him that first cries, 'Hold, enough!'” (Shakespeare, Macbeth, 5:8 ). [Early 1200s]

3. Impose or cast something on someone, as in The government laid a tax on landholders , or Dad had a way of laying the guilt for his shortcomings on his partners . This usage is also found in , as in Nancy could always find someone to lay the blame on , or Jerry put the blame on Bill . [1300s]

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Example Sentences

Wells and many others had been, that Christianity, and religious belief itself, lay on the verge of extinction.

From The Wall Street Journal

After lunch they all lay on the edge of the beach.

From Literature

Nim lay on her back and peeled a banana; Fred stared at the coconut.

From Literature

She lay on her stomach and Fred rode on her back; she paddled once right around the cove, but she was in more of a floating mood today and the raft was good at that, too.

From Literature

The tide was going out, and when they’d finished the game, Nim lay on her stomach and dug for clams with an old shell, while Selkie and Fred galumphed around the wet sand and Chica watched and nodded.

From Literature

Related Words

• award
• bequeath
• contribute
• devote
• give
• give away
• grant
• hand out
• present
• provide