lay person
Britishnoun
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a person who is not a member of the clergy
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a person who does not have specialized or professional knowledge of a subject
a lay person's guide to conveyancing
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
The meaning is not something that a lay person can necessarily intuit.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2025
These publications are written so a lay person can understand them with ease.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 16, 2023
"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
We would have removed from the Episcopal Consistories the lay person chosen by the government, in order that, in these assemblies, the bishops may be able to act with all liberty.
From Pius IX. And His Time by Dawson, Æneas MacDonell
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.
