lay out
Britishverb
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to arrange or spread out
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to prepare (a corpse) for burial or cremation
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to plan or contrive
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informal to spend (money), esp lavishly
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informal to knock unconscious
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informal to exert (oneself) or put (oneself) to an effort
he laid himself out to please us
noun
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the arrangement or plan of something, such as a building
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the arrangement of written material, photographs, or other artwork on an advertisement or page in a book, newspaper, etc
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a preliminary plan indicating this
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a drawing showing the relative disposition of parts in a machine, etc
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the act of laying out
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something laid out
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the formation of cards on the table in various games, esp in patience
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informal a residence or establishment, esp a large one
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Make a detailed plan, design, or explanation, as in They laid out the exact dimensions in order to construct the new display , or Robert laid out next year's plans for his staff . [Mid-1700s]
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Prepare a dead body for burial, as in He died that morning and was laid out for the wake by afternoon . [Late 1500s]
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Rebuke harshly, as in She laid me out for breaking the vase . [ Slang ; late 1800s]
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Knock unconscious or to the ground, render helpless, as in He laid him out with one good punch . [Late 1800s]
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Expend, spend, as in She laid out a fortune on jewelry . [Mid-1400s]
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Display or arrange, especially in a particular order, as in He asked her to lay out the merchandise in an attractive way . [Mid-1400s]
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 out all the ways this relocation has improved your life, just like you did in this letter.
From Slate • Aug. 9, 2023
Lay out meat or mushrooms in a shallow, nonaluminum baking pan.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 22, 2023
Lay out both rounds of pie dough and use a 4 1/2-inch round cookie cutter to cut four circles from each of them.
From Washington Times • Apr. 14, 2023
Lay out one of the graham crackers in the air fryer basket.
From Salon • Oct. 9, 2022
Lay out the MedKit’s scissors, gauze, and tape.
From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
