lay aside

British  

verb

1. to abandon or reject

2. to store or reserve for future use

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lay aside Idioms  

1. Give up, abandon, as in He laid aside all hopes of winning first prize . [First half of 1400s]

2. Also, lay away ; lay by . Set apart for a reason, save for the future, as in They lay aside enough to pay the rent , or Because coffee prices were rising, she laid by enough for a month , or The store laid away the winter coat I wanted . [Early 1700s] The first variant gave rise, about 1970, to the term layaway plan , in which merchandise is laid away for a buyer who pays a deposit and receives it when payment is made in full. Also see lay down , def. 4; set aside .

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Example Sentences

But of course everything is only temporary, including the good health I felt sure would enable me to lay aside the cane when my back was better.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

“Let’s lay aside the Facebook post we’ll use to justify our ‘rightness’ and skip the snarky meme demonizing the ‘other’ party,” she wrote in a post to her constituents.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 13, 2025

The result was a swift agreement among the nation’s leading banks to lay aside competitive instincts to come to First Republic’s aid.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 17, 2023

"I think it is incumbent on the leaders of the country to lay aside their differences and create an environment where their people can flourish."

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2023

“He is here at my invitation,” said Dumbledore, looking between them, “as are you, Severus. I trust you both. It is time for you to lay aside your old differences and trust each other.”

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

Related Words

• adjourn
• arrest
• bar
• cease
• defer
• discontinue
• eject
• exclude
• file
• halt
• interrupt
• postpone
• put off
• reject
• rule out
• shelve
• stay
• waive
• withhold