lair

¹ American  

[lair] / lɛər /

noun

1. a den or resting place of a wild animal.

   The cougar retired to its lair.

2. a secluded or hidden place, especially a secret retreat or base of operations; a hideout or hideaway.

   a pirate's lair.

3. British. a place in which to lie or rest; a bed.

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verb (used with object)

1. to place in a lair.

2. to serve as a lair for.

verb (used without object)

1. to go to, lie in, or have a lair.

lair ² American  

[lair] / lɛər /

noun

1. British Dialect. mud; mire.

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verb (used without object)

1. Scot. to sink or stick in mud or mire.

lair ³ American  

[lair] / lɛər /

noun

Chiefly Scot.

1. lore; learning.

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lair ⁴ American  

[lair] / lɛər /

noun

Australian Informal.

1. a man who dresses garishly and is crude or vulgar; show-off.

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lair ¹ British  

/ lɛə /

noun

1. the resting place of a wild animal

2. informal a place of seclusion or hiding

3. an enclosure or shed for farm animals

4. the ground for a grave in a cemetery

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verb

1. (intr) (esp of a wild animal) to retreat to or rest in a lair

2. (tr) to drive or place (an animal) in a lair

lair ² British  

/ lɛə /

noun

1. a flashy man who shows off

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verb

1. (intr; foll by up or around) to behave or dress like a lair

lair ³ British  

/ ler /

noun

1. a Scot word for mire

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Etymology

Origin of lair¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English leir(e), lair, lare, Old English leger; cognate with Dutch, Old High German leger “bed, camp,” Afrkaans laager “defensive circle of wagons,” German Lager “storehouse”; akin to lie ²

Origin of lair²

First recorded in 1300–50; verb use of Middle English lair “clay, mire,” from Old Norse leir ”clay, mud”

Origin of lair³

Middle English lōre, laire (north and Scots lare, lere ), Old English lār “teaching, instruction”; see origin at lore ¹

Origin of lair⁴

First recorded in 1930–35; back formation from lairy

Explanation

A lair is a wild animal's den. If you ever find yourself in a forest and face to face with a bear trying to lure you into his lair, beware! He may be plotting to eat you. The noun lair has its roots in the Old English leger, meaning "bed; place where one lies down." It eventually became the word for an animal's den in the early 15th century. A person can have a lair, too. An evil genius might have a lair where he plots his next crime, for example, while a less scary person might have a cozy lair lined with plush carpet and shelves of books.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lair

Ibrahimovic would happily return to the lair he kept during his time with the Galaxy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

Osbourne invited everyone into his dark lair — and was grateful to his very last day for the community.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2025

A stream of cars and taxis filed into the grounds as families arrived to check whether their lair was one of those damaged.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2025

The latter here is represented via a large puppet created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, and the walk-through experience will take us from taverns to the back alley of a marketplace to the beholder’s lair.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2025

Once Duke bopped the button, the whole hillside would open up, like a grassy, hinged dome, and reveal the triple entrance slides down to their high-tech subterranean lair.

From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• hideaway