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Synonyms

lay in

British  

verb

  1. (tr, adverb) to accumulate and store

    we must lay in food for the party

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

lay in Idioms  
  1. Also, lay up. Stock or store for future use, as in We laid in supplies for the winter, or Are you sure you've laid up enough material? The first term dates from the late 1500s, the second from about 1400. Also see lay aside, def. 2; lay down, def. 4.


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.

“Perhaps its real significance lay in the fact that it was the first of many historic occasion in which the United States would undertake to project her military power far beyond her own borders.”

From Salon • Jul. 4, 2026

According to Boettcher, Abdulmohsen's motive lay in a conflict with a Cologne-based refugee organisation against which he had lost a civil suit.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

While Olivia North, 21, lay in a coma, her family were making plans to meet her from the plane on her return to the UK.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

Midway through the game, Brown settled on a strategy whose genius lay in its simplicity.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

I lay in bed that night thinking that I ought to get a job after school.

From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman

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