lay down
Britishverb
-
to place on the ground, etc
-
to relinquish or discard
to lay down one's life
-
to formulate (a rule, principle, etc)
-
to build or begin to build
the railway was laid down as far as Manchester
-
to record (plans) on paper
-
to convert (land) into pasture
-
to store or stock
to lay down wine
-
informal to wager or bet
-
informal (tr, adverb) to record (tracks) in a studio
-
Give something up, surrender, as in They laid down their arms . [c. 1300]
-
Formulate, specify, as in The club laid down new membership rules . [Late 1400s]
-
Also, lay down one's life . Sacrifice one's life, as in He would willingly lay down his life for his children . [c. 1600]
-
Store for the future, as in It was a great vintage year for burgundy, and Mark laid down several cases . [Early 1800s] Also see lay aside , def. 2.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Lay down your weapon, change into civilian clothes, and leave the area to save your life," says one.
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2025
Lay down a few mousetraps or use repellents that they are not fans of.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 21, 2022
"Lay down your arms," Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, the director of the Russian National Center for Defense Management, said in a briefing distributed by the defence ministry.
From Reuters • Mar. 20, 2022
Lay down in a quiet room with low light and tune into your body.
From Slate • Oct. 27, 2020
"Lay down the whip," he commanded with a princely air.
From "The Whipping Boy" by Sid Fleischman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
