lain

[ leyn ]

/ leɪn /

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verb

past participle of lie².

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QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH lain

1. laid, lain 2. lain , lane

Words nearby lain

laid paper, laid up, laigh, laik, Lailat-ul-Qadr, lain, Laine, Laing, Laingian, laipse, lair

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lain in a sentence

After the coroner hauled Craig’s body out of the forest, Steiner, weeping, bent down and kissed the ground where he’d lain.
Facebook Grew Marketplace to 1 Billion Users. Now Scammers Are Using It to Target People Around the World.|by Craig Silverman, A.C. Thompson and Peter Elkind|September 22, 2021|ProPublica
For medical students, bonds are forged by sharing the same air for hours at a time, toiling over a body lain supine on a table before them.
You Can’t Dissect a Virtual Cadaver - Issue 99: Universality|Michael Denham|May 5, 2021|Nautilus
But the sins of the 20th century, as devastating as they were, cannot be lain entirely at the feet of its artists.
Rehabilitating Italian Futurism at the Guggenheim Museum|David Freedlander|February 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It had lain dormant all these years: it was there, though, and presently it would rise and confront me.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“She had been up during the day,” noted Sowell in explanation of how she might have lain down on a neat bed.
The Strange and Mysterious Death of Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis|Richard Ben Cramer|January 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rather, they have lain dormant to haunt us in various guises since the Confederacy was brought to heel.
The South Has Indeed Risen Again and It’s Called the Tea Party|Jack Schwartz|December 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The lion has lain down with the lamb, in other words, and the unanimity seems so surreal that I might as well keep dreaming.
The Supremes Get It Right, Naturally.|Sam Kean|June 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She felt sure that the significance of the whole occurrence had lain in her own self-consciousness.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
The letter had lain at his Club three days, it was dated Switzerland and the postmark was Montreux.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
The same, after having lain against a wall for two months and nine days longer.
Elements of Agricultural Chemistry|Thomas Anderson
I have lain down at four o'clock these two mornings, Glennie having kindly relieved my watching at that hour.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil|Maria Graham
A somewhat similar case occurs where the wind bears sand against window panes or a bottle which has long lain on the shore.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler

British Dictionary definitions for lain

lain

/ (leɪn) /

verb

the past participle of lie 2

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

lain

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WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH lain

Words nearby lain

Words related to lain

How to use lain in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lain