lay on
Britishverb
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to provide or supply
to lay on entertainment
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to install
to lay on electricity
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informal
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to exaggerate, esp when flattering
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to charge an exorbitant price
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to punish or strike harshly
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Cover with, apply; also, use. For example, He decided to lay on a second coat of primer , or She laid on a thick Southern accent . [c. 1600] Also see lay it on thick .
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Inflict blows, attack, as in “Lay on, Macduff; and damn'd be him that first cries, 'Hold, enough!'” (Shakespeare, Macbeth, 5:8 ). [Early 1200s]
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Impose or cast something on someone, as in The government laid a tax on landholders , or Dad had a way of laying the guilt for his shortcomings on his partners . This usage is also found in , as in Nancy could always find someone to lay the blame on , or Jerry put the blame on Bill . [1300s]
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.
Many lay on the bare pavements from the early morning to get a better spot.
From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026
The volunteers waved the man’s family members away from the Ebola isolation tent at Mongbwalu General Hospital, where his body lay on a plastic sheet on the floor.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
Hama lay on the outskirts of these cultural hubs.
From Science Daily • May 5, 2026
Hollie Page, a cardiac physiologist at Bart's Hospital, happened to pass him as he lay on the concourse of Liverpool Street station.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
A big piece of carpet with a cabbageroses pattern all over it lay on top of the wooden floor.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
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.
