lair

[ lair ]

See synonyms for lair on Thesaurus.com

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.

Origin of lair

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 lie²

Words Nearby lair

Other definitions for lair (2 of 4)

lair²

[ lair ]

noun

British Dialect. mud; mire.

verb (used without object)

Scot. to sink or stick in mud or mire.

Origin of lair

First 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)

lair³

[ lair ]

nounChiefly Scot.

lore; learning.

Origin of lair

Middle 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 ]

nounAustralian Informal.

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

Origin of lair

⁴

First 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

She laughs, and answers that it’s helped her lure audiences into her vocal lair.
We’re More of Ourselves When We’re in Tune with Others - Issue 104: Harmony | Kevin Berger | July 21, 2021 | Nautilus
Balker, who used to sleep in a doorway behind the British Museum, is rounded up by an unknown official and given a clean bed in the heart of the iGhetti’s lair.
Politics and the pandemic have changed how we imagine cities | Joanne McNeil | April 28, 2021 | MIT Technology Review
As I descended into the basement of Padilla-Brown’s Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, home, a pink glow gave the impression that I was entering a mad scientist’s lair.
Meet the Renaissance Man Obsessed with Mushrooms | Doug Bierend | March 10, 2021 | Outside Online
Ancient underground lairs left behind by these animals appear in rocks from coastal Taiwan.
Giant worms may have hidden beneath the ancient seafloor to ambush prey | Helen Thompson | February 16, 2021 | Science News For Students
Ancient underground lairs left behind by these animals appear in rocks from coastal Taiwan, researchers report January 21 in Scientific Reports.
Giant worms may have burrowed into the ancient seafloor to ambush prey | Helen Thompson | January 22, 2021 | Science News

“The lair of the laser loves all of you,” he tells a visiting Atlas Obscura tour group.
New York’s Hologram King Is Also the City’s Last Pro Holographer | Nina Strochlic | May 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In January the actor kidnapped Kimmel, tying him up in his lair.
8 Best Jimmy Kimmel Viral Videos | Nina Strochlic | November 5, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
He blamed agent Rossi for ruining his life, and over five years, brought women to an underground lair where he killed them.
'Criminal Minds'' 7 Most Crazed Killers: From Human Marionettes to "The Reaper" | Kelsey Meany | September 25, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
She was only needed if Hitler was actually at the Wolf's lair, though she never actually saw him.
The Story of Hitler's Food Taster | David Frum | April 4, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
He was not a recluse, however, as the documents and electronic chips recovered by the SEALs from his lair revealed.
Peter Bergen’s Manhunt: The Decade-Long Hunt for Osama bin Laden | Bruce Riedel | April 29, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
No trail was so obtuse, no thicket so dense that members of that regiment would not track them to their lair.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. Dunn
The belated moon stole up from its lair, hovered above the sky-line, a gaudy orange sphere in the haze of smoke.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
Every instinct and habit made her a stranger among these poor swamp-people living like vermin in their lair.
Summer | Edith Wharton
The boat will leap over laughing waters and flit home, as the muskawk to its lair when the sun dies.
Menotah | Ernest G. Henham
Now he was up and about, cheerful and sunny, but a serious object lesson to the lion hunters bound for the lair of the lion.
In Africa | John T. McCutcheon

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

Origin of lair

Old English leger; related to lie ² and Old High German leger bed

British Dictionary definitions for lair (2 of 3)

lair²

/ (ler) /

noun, verb

a Scot word for mire

Origin of 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

Origin of 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

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