lay into

verb

1. to attack forcefully

2. to berate severely

Idioms and Phrases

Attack physically, The boys ganged up and laid into Bobby .

Scold vigorously, as in The teacher laid into her aide when she learned he had left the children alone in the schoolyard . [Early 1800s] Also see pitch into .

Example Sentences

And it’s heartening to see him still on the road, laying into what he sees as the creep of totalitarianism every night in his eighth decade of life.

From Los Angeles Times

Trump, who takes pride in being a devastating counterpuncher, will have plenty of opportunity to lay into Musk.

From BBC

Johnson, R-La., shared with reporters that the real margin was much more comfortable than the final tally implied, laying into one member of his party for missing the vote to catch some shuteye.

From Salon

Rove, a regular contributor to Fox News, stopped by the network over the weekend to lay into the Trump administration over their nosediving approval ratings.

From Salon

"It was disappointing at best, hearing their lack of self-awareness, their lack of self-reflection," Sellers said, laying into the staffers for a lack of clear messaging and for covering up flagging numbers.

From Salon