lay down

British  

verb

1. to place on the ground, etc

2. to relinquish or discard

   to lay down one's life

3. to formulate (a rule, principle, etc)

4. to build or begin to build

   the railway was laid down as far as Manchester

5. to record (plans) on paper

6. to convert (land) into pasture

7. to store or stock

   to lay down wine

8. informal to wager or bet

9. informal (tr, adverb) to record (tracks) in a studio

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lay down Idioms  

1. Give something up, surrender, as in They laid down their arms . [c. 1300]

2. Formulate, specify, as in The club laid down new membership rules . [Late 1400s]

3. Also, lay down one's life . Sacrifice one's life, as in He would willingly lay down his life for his children . [c. 1600]

4. Store for the future, as in It was a great vintage year for burgundy, and Mark laid down several cases . [Early 1800s] Also see lay aside , def. 2.

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Example Sentences

Another inquisitive infant, three-year-old Pablo, lay down on Attenborough just as he felt a hand on the top of his head.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

They argue that choosing the timing of one’s death is a matter of autonomy, that one should be able to lay down one’s life at will rather than suffer through difficult circumstances.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

Karan Mahajan was 6 years old when he saw a family friend lay down in front of a bus during a protest against India’s Mandal Commission affirmative action movement.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026

But California would not prove to be the be-all and end-all for the rapper, who chose to lay down more permanent roots in Utah, just outside of Salt Lake City.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 18, 2026

As I lay down on my clean sheets, I looked out of the window at the stars filling the sky.

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce

Related Words

• abandon
• back down
• back off
• backtrack
• depart
• escape
• evacuate
• fall back
• go
• go back
• hide
• leave
• pull out
• recede
• reel
• retire
• reverse
• shrink
• withdraw