lain
Americanverb
verb
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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.
Starmer will arrive with an entourage of industry executives hoping to promote British business through a UK-China CEO Council, a body that has lain dormant for years.
From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026
Someone close to us had died along the shoulder of a highway and had lain unnamed for more than 40 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
Several blocks of maisonettes were demolished though, leaving behind land which has lain derelict for more than a decade.
From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2024
St. Nicholas’ body had lain under the floor of their church for 700 years.
From Slate ● Dec. 15, 2024
“But I don’t believe you. The Pandava souls have lain dormant since the end of the Mahabharata War. Why would they appear now?”
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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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.