lay down
Britishverb
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to place on the ground, etc
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to relinquish or discard
to lay down one's life
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to formulate (a rule, principle, etc)
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to build or begin to build
the railway was laid down as far as Manchester
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to record (plans) on paper
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to convert (land) into pasture
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to store or stock
to lay down wine
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informal to wager or bet
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informal (tr, adverb) to record (tracks) in a studio
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Give something up, surrender, as in They laid down their arms . [c. 1300]
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Formulate, specify, as in The club laid down new membership rules . [Late 1400s]
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Also, lay down one's life . Sacrifice one's life, as in He would willingly lay down his life for his children . [c. 1600]
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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.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He also called on the regime to lay down its arms.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 28, 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
This was a major own-goal, to be sure, but one could say that Starmer lay down with a dog and got up with fleas.
From Salon • Feb. 15, 2026
Orosstevic said he had bought flowers to lay down "as a small tribute".
From Barron's • Jan. 1, 2026
He lay down on the ground and rolled over and over.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
