mislay

[ mis-ley ]

/ mɪsˈleɪ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mislay ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), mis·laid, mis·lay·ing.

to lose temporarily; misplace: He mislaid his keys.

to lay or place wrongly; arrange or situate improperly: to mislay linoleum.

RELATED WORDS

displace, misplace

Nearby words

miskito, misknow, misknowledge, miskolc, mislabel, mislay, mislead, misleading, misleared, misled, mislike

Origin of mislay

First recorded in 1350–1400, mislay is from the Middle English word mysse layen. See mis-¹, lay¹

Related formsmis·lay·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mislay

I don't lose mine much, but gee whiz, I mislay it sometimes.
Roy Blakeley's Camp on Wheels|Percy Keese Fitzhugh
Don't you forgit to make a note of it; here's her check, an' we've kep' the number in case you should mislay it or anything.
The Life of Nancy|Sarah Orne Jewett
Peacock says she wrote good letters, but apparently interested people had sagacity enough to mislay them in time.
In Defense of Harriet Shelley|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
I doubt, however, whether this will become popular, guests showing a tendency to mislay their knives and forks in the foliage.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 153, Nov. 28, 1917|Various

But in case you do mislay it, write to the Publishers for a complete catalog.
The Rover Boys on a Hunt|Arthur M. Winfield (Edward Stratemeyer)

British Dictionary definitions for mislay

mislay

/ (mɪsˈleɪ) /

verb -lays, -laying or -laid (tr)

to lose (something) temporarily, esp by forgetting where it is

to lay (something) badly

Derived Formsmislayer, noun

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

Word Origin and History for mislay

mislay

c.1400, from mis- (1) + lay (v.). Related: Mislaid; mislaying.