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

Then I heard what must have been the squeak of bed-springs as she lay down.

From Literature

But each and every dog, as if by a silent command from Cookie, dug a bit and made a bed and lay down in the snow and went to sleep.

From Literature

I ate the last of my ice cream and lay down by the fire.

From Literature

They constructed a nest on the north side of the lake, laying down a foundation for a lineage that endures today.

From Los Angeles Times

I lay down, tucking myself into the covers as a bone-tired weariness washed over me.

From Literature

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