This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
lair
1[ lair ]
/ lɛər /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
a den or resting place of a wild animal: The cougar retired to its lair.
a secluded or hidden place, especially a secret retreat or base of operations; a hideout or hideaway: a pirate's lair.
British. a place in which to lie or rest; a bed.
verb (used with object)
to place in a lair.
to serve as a lair for.
verb (used without object)
to go to, lie in, or have a lair.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of lair
1First 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 lie2
Words nearby lair
Other definitions for lair (2 of 4)
lair2
[ lair ]
/ lɛər /
noun
verb (used without object)
Scot. to sink or stick in mud or mire.
Origin of lair
2First recorded in 1300–50; verb use of Middle English lair “clay, mire,” from Old Norse leir ”clay, mud”
Other definitions for lair (3 of 4)
Origin of lair
3Middle English lōre, laire (north and Scots lare, lere ), Old English lār “teaching, instruction”; see origin at lore1
Other definitions for lair (4 of 4)
lair4
[ lair ]
/ lɛər /
noun Australian Informal.
a man who dresses garishly and is crude or vulgar; show-off.
Origin of lair
4First recorded in 1930–35; back formation from lairy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use lair in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for lair (1 of 3)
lair1
/ (lɛə) /
noun
the resting place of a wild animal
informal a place of seclusion or hiding
an enclosure or shed for farm animals
Scot the ground for a grave in a cemetery
verb
(intr) (esp of a wild animal) to retreat to or rest in a lair
(tr) to drive or place (an animal) in a lair
Word Origin for lair
Old English leger; related to lie ² and Old High German leger bed
British Dictionary definitions for lair (2 of 3)
Word Origin for lair
from Old Norse leir mud
British Dictionary definitions for lair (3 of 3)
lair3
/ (lɛə) Australian slang /
noun
a flashy man who shows off
verb
(intr; foll by up or around) to behave or dress like a lair
Word Origin for lair
perhaps from leer
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