laid
Americanverb
verb
Other Word Forms
- well-laid adjective
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How does laid compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Laid means "set down." If you built a brick wall, and then when it's done your neighbor complains that the wall crosses onto his property, tell him, "too late! The brick has already been laid." Laid is the past participle of the verb, lay, which means set down. So something that has been laid has already been set down. You might scramble up the eggs the chickens laid yesterday. Before your guests come over, your table should have been laid. Or you might examine the foundations that the builder laid down for the house you're building. We often use laid if we want to emphasize how carefully something has been done.
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.
Berdymukhamedov touched down at the ceremony in a white helicopter, where a traditional carpet was laid out across the tarmac.
From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026
Daley Khan is a knowledge management professional and people manager who was laid off from Uber in March after nearly nine years.
From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026
Tehran laid the groundwork for that last year by saying some of its fissile material may have been destroyed in June’s attacks.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026
There are rows upon rows of tents with piles of clothes laid out on plastic sheets.
From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026
He always ran with his ears laid back tight to his head.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
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.
