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Idioms And Phrases

lay

¹

[ ley ]

/ leɪ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR lay

verb (used with object), laid, lay·ing.

to put or place in a horizontal position or position of rest; set down: to lay a book on a desk.

to knock or beat down, as from an erect position; strike or throw to the ground: One punch laid him low.

to put or place in a particular position: The dog laid its ears back.

to cause to be in a particular state or condition: Their motives were laid bare.

to set, place, or apply (often followed by to or on): to lay hands on a child.

to dispose or place in proper position or in an orderly fashion: to lay bricks.

to place on, along, or under a surface: to lay a pipeline.

to establish as a basis; set up:to lay the foundations for further negotiations.

to present or submit for notice or consideration: I laid my case before the commission.

to present, bring forward, or make, as a claim or charge.

to impute, attribute, or ascribe: to lay blame on the inspector.

to bury: They laid him in the old churchyard.

to bring forth and deposit (an egg or eggs).

to impose as a burden, duty, penalty, or the like: to lay an embargo on oil shipments.

to place dinner service on (a table); set.

to place on or over a surface, as paint; cover or spread with something else.

to devise or arrange, as a plan.

to deposit as a wager; bet: He laid $10 on the horse that won the third race.

to set (a trap).

to place, set, or locate: The scene is laid in France.

to smooth down or make even: to lay the nap of cloth.

to cause to subside: laying the clouds of dust with a spray of water.

Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse with.

to bring (a stick, lash, etc.) down, as on a person, in inflicting punishment.

to form by twisting strands together, as a rope.

Nautical. to move or turn (a sailing vessel) into a certain position or direction.

to aim a cannon in a specified direction at a specified elevation.

to put (dogs) on a scent.

verb (used without object), laid, lay·ing.

to lay eggs.

to wager or bet.

to apply oneself vigorously.

to deal or aim blows vigorously (usually followed by on, at, about, etc.).

Nonstandard. lie².

South Midland U.S. to plan or scheme (often followed by out).

Midland and Southern U.S. (of the wind) to diminish; subside: When the wind lays, it'll rain.

Nautical. to take up a specified position, direction, etc.: to lay aloft; to lay close to the wind.

noun

the way or position in which a thing is laid or lies: the lay of the land.

Slang: Vulgar.

a partner in sexual intercourse.
an instance of sexual intercourse.

Ropemaking. the quality of a fiber rope characterized by the degree of twist, the angles formed by the strands, and the fibers in the strands.

Also called lay-up, spread . (in the garment industry) multiple layers of fabric upon which a pattern or guide is placed for production-line cutting.

Textiles. batten³ (defs. 1, 2).

a share of the profits or the catch of a whaling or fishing voyage, distributed to officers and crew.

Verb Phrases

lay aside,

to abandon; reject.
to save for use at a later time; store: to lay aside some money every month.

lay away,

to reserve for later use; save.
to hold merchandise pending final payment or request for delivery: to lay away a winter coat.
to bury: They laid him away in the tomb.

lay back, Slang. to relax.

lay by,

to put away for future use; store; save: She had managed to lay by money for college from her earnings as a babysitter.
Nautical. (of a sailing vessel) to come to a standstill; heave to; lay to.
Midland and Southern U.S. to tend (a crop) for the last time, leaving it to mature without further cultivation.

lay down,

to give up; yield: to lay down one's arms.
to assert firmly; state authoritatively: to lay down rigid rules of conduct.
to stock; store: to lay down wine.
to produce or execute (something) successfully; throw down: In the top of the thirteenth inning, Jones laid down a perfect bunt.
Shipbuilding. to draw at full size (the lines of a hull), as on the floor of a mold loft; lay off; loft.

lay for, Informal. to wait for in order to attack or surprise; lie in wait for: The police are laying for him.

lay in, to store away for future use: We laid in a supply of canned goods.

lay into, Informal. to attack physically or verbally; assail: He laid into the opposition with fiery words.

lay off,

to dismiss (an employee), especially temporarily because of slack business.
Informal. to cease or quit: He promised to lay off drinking.
Slang. to stop annoying or teasing: Lay off me, will you?
Informal. to stop work: They laid off at four and went home.
to put aside or take off.
to mark off; measure; plot.
Slang. to give or hand over; pass on: They laid off their old sofa on the neighborhood recreation center.
(of a bookmaker) to transfer all or part of (a wager) to other bookmakers in order to be protected against heavy losses.
to get rid of or transfer (blame, responsibility, etc.): He tried to lay off the guilt for the crime on his son.
Nautical. to sail away from.
Nautical. to remain stationary at a distance from.
Shipbuilding. lay¹ (def. 47e).

lay on,

to cover with; apply: to lay on a coat of wax.
to strike blows; attack violently: When the mob became unruly, the police began to lay on.
Nautical. to sail toward.
Nautical. to row (an oar) with a full stroke.
Slang. to tell, impart, or give to: Let me lay a little good advice on you.
Chiefly British Informal. to provide as a gift, bonus, or treat; give; treat: The owners laid on a Christmas dinner for the employees.

lay open,

to cut open: to lay open an area of tissue with a scalpel.
to expose; reveal: Her autobiography lays open shocking facts about her childhood.
to expose or make vulnerable, as to blame, suspicion, or criticism: He was careful not to lay himself open to charges of partiality.

lay out,

to extend at length.
to spread out in order; arrange; prepare.
to plan; plot; design.
to ready (a corpse) for burial.
Informal. to spend or contribute (money).
Slang. to knock (someone) down or unconscious.
Slang. to scold vehemently; reprimand: Whenever I come home late from school, my mom really lays me out.
to make a layout of.
Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. to absent oneself from school or work without permission or justification; play hooky.

lay over,

to be postponed until action may be taken: The vote will have to be laid over until next week.
to make a stop, as during a trip: We will have to lay over in Lyons on our way to the Riviera.

lay to,

Nautical. to check the motion of (a ship).
Nautical. to put (a ship) in a dock or other place of safety.
to attack vigorously.
to put forth effort; apply oneself.

lay up,

to put away for future use; store up.
to cause to be confined to bed or kept indoors; disable.
Nautical. to retire (a ship) from active use.
Nautical. (of a ship) to be retired from active use.
to construct (a masonry structure): The masons laid the outer walls up in Flemish bond.
to apply (alternate layers of a material and a binder) to form a bonded material.

VIDEO FOR LAY

WATCH NOW: Two Nerdy Steps To Learn "Lay" vs. "Lie"

When we asked this woman the difference between lay and lie ... she couldn't answer right away. Maybe her nerdy steps to learn how to use these words will help you learn the difference between lay and lie too?

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Question 1 of 9

You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?

To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.

To stew in a sauce for a long time.

To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.

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Idioms for lay

get laid, Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse.

lay aboard, Nautical. (formerly, of a fighting ship) to come alongside (another fighting ship) in order to board.

lay about one,

to strike or aim blows in every direction.
to proceed to do; set about.

lay a course,

Nautical. to sail in the desired direction without tacking.
to proceed according to a plan.

lay close, Nautical. (of a sailing vessel) to sail close to the wind.

lay it on, to exaggerate in one's speech or actions, especially to engage in exaggerated flattery or reproof: She was glad to be told what a splendid person she was, but they didn't have to lay it on so much.Also lay it on thick.

lay low. low¹ (defs. 50, 51).

lay oneself out, Informal. to try one's best; make a great effort: They laid themselves out to see that the reception would be a success.

lay siege to. siege (def. 9).

Origin of lay

¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English layen, leggen, Old English lecgan (causative of licgan “to lie”; cognate with Dutch leggen, German legen, Old Norse legja, Gothic lagjan. See lie²

SYNONYMS FOR lay

22 calm, still, quiet.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR lay

synonym study for lay

1. See put.

words often confused with lay

Lay1 and lie2 are often confused. Lay is most commonly a transitive verb and takes an object. Its forms are regular. If “place” or “put” can be substituted in a sentence, a form of lay is called for: Lay the folders on the desk. The mason is laying brick. She laid the baby in the crib. Lay also has many intransitive senses, among them “to lay eggs” ( The hens have stopped laying ), and it forms many phrasal verbs, such as lay off “to dismiss (from employment)” or “to stop annoying or teasing” and lay over “to make a stop.”
Lie, with the overall senses “to be in a horizontal position, recline” and “to rest, remain, be situated, etc.,” is intransitive and takes no object. Its forms are irregular; its past tense form is identical with the present tense or infinitive form of lay : Lie down, children. Abandoned cars were lying along the road. The dog lay in the shade and watched the kittens play. The folders have lain on the desk since yesterday.
In all but the most careful, formal speech, forms of lay are commonly heard in senses normally associated with lie. In edited written English such uses of lay are rare and are usually considered nonstandard: Lay down, children. The dog laid in the shade. Abandoned cars were laying along the road. The folders have laid on the desk since yesterday.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH lay

1. lay , lie² (see usage note at the current entry)2. lay off , layoff

Words nearby lay

Laxalt, laxation, laxative, laxity, Laxness, lay, layabout, lay about one, lay a finger on, Layamon, lay analyst

Definition for lay (2 of 5)

lay²

[ ley ]

/ leɪ /

verb

simple past tense of lie².

Definition for lay (3 of 5)

lay³

[ ley ]

/ leɪ /

adjective

belonging to, pertaining to, or performed by the people or laity, as distinguished from the clergy: a lay sermon.

not belonging to, connected with, or proceeding from a profession, especially the law or medicine.

Origin of lay

³

1300–50; Middle English <Middle French lai<Medieval Latin lāicuslaic

Definition for lay (4 of 5)

lay⁴

[ ley ]

/ leɪ /

noun

a short narrative or other poem, especially one to be sung.

a song.

Origin of lay

⁴

1200–50; Middle English lai<Old French, perhaps <Celtic; compare Old Irish láed, laíd metrical composition, poem, lay

Definition for lay (5 of 5)

lay⁵

[ ley ]

/ leɪ /

noun

(on a loom) a movable frame that contains the shuttles, the race plate, and the reed, and that by its oscillating motion beats the filling yarn into place.

any movable part of a loom.

Origin of lay

⁵

First recorded in 1780–90; variant of lathe

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for lay

If the organization were in a better financial position — and hadn’t laid off around 25% of its staff this year — it may have kept Notes alive and maybe tried to rework Send.
Mozilla shutters Firefox Send and Notes|Frederic Lardinois|September 17, 2020|TechCrunch
We still think about ourselves as a startup, and when you think about yourself as a startup it’s really hard to lay off employees.
Are you ready to start traveling for work again? TripActions’ CEO is banking on it|Michal Lev-Ram, writer|September 15, 2020|Fortune
If the Eagles didn’t exist, that would be the biggest egg laid on Sunday.
We Knew A Football Team Would Win In Week 1. But Maybe Not ‘Football Team.’|Sara Ziegler (sara.ziegler@fivethirtyeight.com)|September 14, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Nothing protected rank-and-file employees from simply being laid off, and the prime beneficiaries have been shareholders and bondholders as the stock market has soared to new heights.
The Big Corporate Rescue and the America That’s Too Small to Save|by Lydia DePillis, Justin Elliott and Paul Kiel|September 12, 2020|ProPublica

One of those who may benefit is Ed Miyoshi, who was laid off in December 2016, when he was at 57 and had worked at IBM’s Hopewell Junction, New York, facility for 35 years.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Confirms a Pattern of Age Discrimination at IBM|by Peter Gosselin, special to ProPublica|September 11, 2020|ProPublica
One police officer was coolly dispatched as he lay wounded on the sidewalk.
France Mourns—and Hunts|Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Lay the butterflied pork loin on the cutting board with the fat cap facing down.
Make Carla Hall’s Roasted Pork Loin With Cranberries|Carla Hall|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In their opinion, this would allow conservatives to lay a marker down on immigration while avoiding a shutdown for the time being.
Bachmann and Pelosi vs. Boehner and Obama Over Spending Bill|Ben Jacobs|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Dehydrated and feeling weary, Marino lay down beside another migrant under a tree and fell asleep.
Drug Smuggler Sues U.S. Over Dog Bite|Caitlin Dickson|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And since she was so tired, she wanted to lay down and sleep.
In New Brothers Grimm 'Snow White', The Prince Doesn't Save Her|The Brothers Grimm|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Safest for him, after all, was to lay fast hold of the particularly unimportant person he was, both there and anywhere else.
Lord Ormont and his Aminta, Complete|George Meredith
I learned later that he had implored the Superior on his knees not to lay this dreadful command upon him, but all in vain.
The Monk and The Hangman's Daughter|Adolphe Danziger De Castro and Ambrose Bierce
At last he became worn out, and lay quite still, and thus froze fast in the ice.
Library Of The World's Best Literature, Ancient And Modern, Vol. 2|Charles Dudley Warner
Still Maria lay upon my lap, and still I resisted every attempt that was made to remove her.
Beaux and Belles of England|Mary Robinson
Lay on different parts of the skin a small, square piece of paper with a small central hole in it.
A Practical Physiology|Albert F. Blaisdell

British Dictionary definitions for lay (1 of 4)

lay¹

/ (leɪ) /

verb lays, laying or laid (leɪd) (mainly tr)

to put in a low or horizontal position; cause to lieto lay a cover on a bed

to place, put, or be in a particular state or positionhe laid his finger on his lips

(intr) not standard to be in a horizontal position; liehe often lays in bed all the morning

(sometimes foll by down) to establish as a basisto lay a foundation for discussion

to place or dispose in the proper positionto lay a carpet

to arrange (a table) for eating a meal

to prepare (a fire) for lighting by arranging fuel in the grate

(also intr) (of birds, esp the domestic hen) to produce (eggs)

to present or put forwardhe laid his case before the magistrate

to impute or attributeall the blame was laid on him

to arrange, devise, or prepareto lay a trap

to place, set, or locatethe scene is laid in London

to apply on or as if on a surfaceto lay a coat of paint

to impose as a penalty or burdento lay a fine

to make (a bet) with (someone)I lay you five to one on Prince

to cause to settleto lay the dust

to allay; suppressto lay a rumour

to bring down forcefullyto lay a whip on someone's back

slang to have sexual intercourse with

slang to bet on (a horse) to lose a race

to press down or make smoothto lay the nap of cloth

to cut (small trunks or branches of shrubs or trees) halfway through and bend them diagonally to form a hedgeto lay a hedge

to arrange and twist together (strands) in order to form (a rope, cable, etc)

military to apply settings of elevation and training to (a weapon) prior to firing

(foll by on) hunting to put (hounds or other dogs) onto a scent

another word for inlay

(intr; often foll by to or out) dialect, or informal to plan, scheme, or devise

(intr) nautical to move or go, esp into a specified position or directionto lay close to the wind

lay aboard nautical (formerly) to move alongside a warship to board it

lay a course

nautical to sail on a planned course without tacking
to plan an action

lay bare to reveal or explainhe laid bare his plans

lay hands on See hands (def. 12)

lay hold of to seize or grasp

lay oneself open to make oneself vulnerable (to criticism, attack, etc)by making such a statement he laid himself open to accusations of favouritism

lay open to reveal or disclose

lay siege to to besiege (a city, etc)

noun

the manner or position in which something lies or is placed

taboo, slang

an act of sexual intercourse
a sexual partner

a portion of the catch or the profits from a whaling or fishing expedition

the amount or direction of hoist in the strands of a rope

See also layabout, lay aside, lay away, lay-by, lay down, lay in, lay into, lay off, lay on, lay out, lay over, lay to, lay up

Word Origin for lay

Old English lecgan; related to Gothic lagjan, Old Norse leggja

usage for lay

In careful English, the verb lay is used with an object and lie without one: the soldier laid down his arms; the Queen laid a wreath; the book was lying on the table; he was lying on the floor. In informal English, lay is frequently used for lie: the book was laying on the table. All careful writers and speakers observe the distinction even in informal contexts

British Dictionary definitions for lay (2 of 4)

lay²

/ (leɪ) /

adjective

of, involving, or belonging to people who are not clergy

nonprofessional or nonspecialist; amateur

Word Origin for lay

C14: from Old French lai, from Late Latin lāicus, ultimately from Greek laos people

British Dictionary definitions for lay (3 of 4)

lay³

/ (leɪ) /

noun

a ballad or short narrative poem, esp one intended to be sung

a song or melody

Word Origin for lay

C13: from Old French lai, perhaps of Germanic origin

British Dictionary definitions for lay (4 of 4)

lay⁴

/ (leɪ) /

verb

the past tense of lie 2

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

Idioms and Phrases with lay

lay

In addition to the idioms beginning with lay

also see:

let it lay

Also see underlaid uplieput.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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