lay-up

or lay·up

[ ley-uhp ]

noun

1. Basketball. a shot with one hand from a point close to the basket, in which a player shoots the ball toward the basket, often off the backboard.
2. the operation of assembling veneers for pressing into plywood.
3. the operation of applying alternate layers of material and a binder to form a bonded material.
4. lay ¹( def 40 ).

lay up

verb

1. to store or reserve for future use
2. informal.
   usually passive to incapacitate or confine through illness

Word History and Origins

Origin of lay-up¹

First recorded in 1940–45; noun use of verb phrase lay up

Idioms and Phrases

see laid up ; lay in .

Example Sentences

The result: Birds lay up to three or four times as many eggs as in nature.

From The Daily Beast

He shall come into Aiath, he shall pass into Magron: at Machmas he shall lay up his carriages.

From Project Gutenberg

Some money I do and can lay up, but not much, being worth now above L700, besides goods of all sorts.

From Project Gutenberg

If I can persuade him to store his autos and lay up his yacht and sell off his polo ponies—I'll try it, anyhow.

From Project Gutenberg

If no one was to lay up money, there would be no one to pay for work, yet toil was considered to be a duty.

From Project Gutenberg

He does it just as men lay away money for ‘a rainy day,’ as we say, and as squirrels lay up a store of nuts for the cold weather.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Lay-up

What is a lay-up?

A lay-up is a throw, or shot, in basketball in which the player uses one hand to throw the basketball into the basketball hoop, often jumping to increase the force of the throw and using the backboard to guide the ball through the hoop.

Lay-ups are the most basic shot in basketball and are normally the first thing new players learn. It is considered relatively easy because the player’s closeness to the hoop and the lack of velocity needed makes it easier to bounce the ball off the backboard with control.

Less commonly, a lay-up is the process of applying sheets of veneer to plywood for construction. Veneer not only strengthens the plywood but also makes it visually pleasing with a constant grain. A lay-up is a specific instance of a sheet of veneer being laid onto a sheet of plywood and pressed down or glued.

Example: We’ll start our practice by doing lay-ups from the corner.

Where does lay-up come from?

The first records of the term lay-up come from the 1940s. It comes from the verb phrase lay up, meaning “to put something above or rest it vertically.” When someone performs a lay-up, they are literally “putting up” the ball vertically to drop it into the hoop.

Lay-ups can be some of the flashiest shots in basketball, because the ease in scoring allows players to add flourishes or style to their move. Because defenders have to be close to the player shooting a lay-up to have any chance of blocking it, the player also has an easier time evading defenders, making the lay-up a fan favorite of some basketball fans.

Did you know … ?

What are some words that share a root or word element with lay-up? 

• lay
• up

What are some words that often get used in discussing lay-up?

• backboard
• hoop
• jump
• one-handed

How is lay-up used in real life?

Lay-up is almost always used in reference to basketball.

Key Stat: Lay-ups Hogs 8-10 Hofstra 16-26
16 of Hofstra's 31 buckets were lay-ups.
They also outscored the Hogs 20 to 11 from the free-throw line.

— Steve Sullivan (@sully7777) December 19, 2021

Fitting that McConnell delivers the driving lay-up that should push Celtics to brink.

98-86, McConnell with 19 pts, a new career-high.

— brianseltzer (@brianseltzer) May 8, 2018

The three best shots in basketball are the lay-up, open 3pt shot and FT. Best offensive teams get 'em, best defensive teams limit 'em.

— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) October 12, 2012

 

Try using lay-up!

Is lay-up used correctly in the following sentence?

Even just one missed lay-up could have cost the team the game this time around.