lay of the land

American  

especially British, lie of the land

noun

1. the general state or condition of affairs under consideration; the facts of a situation.

   We asked a few questions to get the lay of the land.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lay of the land

So investors may have been waiting to evaluate the lay of the land.

From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026

UFC production chief Craig Borsari has already visited the White House five times to get the lay of the land and is in contact with the Secret Service.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

Only nine games played and 29 left to play, as Brendan Rodgers pointed out later, in a somewhat revealing comment about the way he sees the lay of the land.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2025

"I love turning on terrestrial television in any country that I'm in. It really gives you the lay of the land."

From Salon ● Jan. 15, 2025

“Getting the lay of the land, as it were. And waiting for things to calm down.”

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs

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