lain
Americanverb
verb
Compare meaning
How does lain compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
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
A rich copper belt in the north of the country has lain fallow since Macri crashed and burned in 2018.
From Barron's • Oct. 28, 2025
It contains 23 homes – 10 of which have lain empty in recent years.
From BBC • Jun. 16, 2025
St. Nicholas’ body had lain under the floor of their church for 700 years.
From Slate • Dec. 15, 2024
Looking back, the last thing Bigwig saw was the face of General Woundwort staring out of the gap in the willow herb where the boat had lain.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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.
