Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

lay person

British  

noun

  1. a person who is not a member of the clergy

  2. a person who does not have specialized or professional knowledge of a subject

    a lay person's guide to conveyancing

"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

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.

"They send such a bewildering amount of information through that a lay person couldn't understand it," he said.

From BBC • Jan. 26, 2026

“Even a lay person has the common sense to see exigent circumstances exist to enter these homes,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2025

Likewise, it's obviously impossible for a lay person to know visually whether their local roach population is glucose-averse or not.

From Salon • Jul. 3, 2022

"I also express my pain and shock over the killing in Mexico the day before yesterday of two religious brothers of mine, Jesuits, and one lay person," Francis said.

From Reuters • Jun. 22, 2022

A. By a "lay person" I mean here any one who is not a priest.

From Baltimore Catechism, No. 3 by Anonymous