lay-by

American  

[ley-bahy] / ˈleɪˌbaɪ /

noun

1. British. (on a road or railroad) a place beside the main road or track where vehicles may wait.

2. Nautical. a mooring place in a narrow river or canal, formed to one side so as to leave the channel free.

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lay-by British  

noun

1. a place for drivers to stop at the side of a main road

2. nautical an anchorage in a narrow waterway, away from the channel

3. a small railway siding where rolling stock may be stored or parked

4. a system of payment whereby a buyer pays a deposit on an article, which is reserved for him until he has paid the full price

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verb

1. (tr) to set aside or save for future needs

2. Also: lay to.  to cause (a sailing vessel) to stop in open water or (of a sailing vessel) to stop

lay by Idioms  

1. see lay aside, def. 2.

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Etymology

Origin of lay-by

First recorded in 1795–1805; noun use of verb phrase lay by

Example Sentences

Renee MacRae's car was found on fire in a lay-by near Dalmagarry Quarry, south of Inverness, on 12 November 1976 but there was no sign of her, or three-year-old Andrew.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

Davies said she had asked the council to close the lay-by on the mountain from where the waste was fly-tipped.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026

"Romania joining Schengen is going to save me hours at each border crossing," he tells me in a lay-by beside the Nadlac crossing.

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2024

The lay-by where the burning car was found was set in a wide open landscape of moorland, hills, quarries, abandoned crofts, commercial forest plantations and lochs.

From BBC • Sep. 29, 2022

The man points to a line of small vans in a lay-by on the Turkish side.

From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell