lay down
Britishverb
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to place on the ground, etc
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to relinquish or discard
to lay down one's life
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to formulate (a rule, principle, etc)
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to build or begin to build
the railway was laid down as far as Manchester
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to record (plans) on paper
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to convert (land) into pasture
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to store or stock
to lay down wine
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informal to wager or bet
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informal (tr, adverb) to record (tracks) in a studio
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Give something up, surrender, as in They laid down their arms . [c. 1300]
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Formulate, specify, as in The club laid down new membership rules . [Late 1400s]
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Also, lay down one's life . Sacrifice one's life, as in He would willingly lay down his life for his children . [c. 1600]
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Store for the future, as in It was a great vintage year for burgundy, and Mark laid down several cases . [Early 1800s] Also see lay aside , def. 2.
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 victims’ families and advocacy groups, some of whom vowed to lay down in front of bulldozers, objected to rebuilding on the site because they considered it a graveyard and hallowed ground.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Ocalan last year called on the PKK to lay down its arms in response to a peace initiative launched by Turkish authorities late 2024, but his fate has not officially been decided.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
After Murphy's guilty plea, Jason began to meet politicians to "lay down the proposals of what could be done to make these things better in the future".
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
On Friday, Fanara’s daughter Michelle Fanara said, her father was working on a project at a neighboring property, stepped inside Palermo, lay down to rest and did not get up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
I put Dinah on the windowsill and lay down on the bed, again not touching anything.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
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.
