lay

³lay

Definition of LAY

past of lie

¹lay

verb \ˈlā\

laid \ˈlād\ lay·ing

Definition of LAY

transitive verb

1

: to beat or strike down with force

2

a : to put or set down <lay your books on the table>

b : to place for rest or sleep; especially : bury

3

: to bring forth and deposit (an egg)

4

: calm, allay <lay the dust>

5

: bet, wager

6

: to press down giving a smooth and even surface

7

a : to dispose or spread over or on a surface <lay track> <lay plaster>

b : to set in order or position <lay a table for dinner> <lay brick>

c : to put (strands) in place and twist to form a rope, hawser, or cable; also : to make by putting strands in place and twisting <lay up rope>

8

a : to impose as a duty, burden, or punishment <lay a tax>

b : to put as a burden of reproach <laid the blame on her>

c : to advance as an accusation : impute <the disaster was laid to faulty inspection>

9

: to place (something immaterial) on something <lay stress on grammar>

10

: prepare, contrive <a well-laid plan>

11

a : to bring against or into contact with something : apply <laid the watch to his ear>

b : to prepare or position for action or operation <lay a fire in the fireplace>; also : to adjust (a gun) to the proper direction and elevation

12

: to bring to a specified condition <lay waste the land>

13

a : assert, allege <lay claim to an estate>

b : to submit for examination and judgment <laid her case before the commission>

14

often vulgar : to copulate with

intransitive verb

1

: to produce and deposit eggs

2

nonstandard : ¹lie

3

: wager, bet

4

dialect : plan, prepare

5

a : to apply oneself vigorously <laid to his oars>

b : to proceed to a specified place or position on a ship <lay aloft>

— lay an egg

: to fail or blunder especially embarrassingly

— lay eyes on

: see, behold

— lay into

: to attack especially verbally <laid into the referee>

— lay on the table

1

: to remove (a parliamentary motion) from consideration indefinitely

2

British : to put (as legislation) on the agenda

Usage Discussion of LAY

lay has been used intransitively in the sense of “lie” since the 14th century. The practice was unremarked until around 1770; attempts to correct it have been a fixture of schoolbooks ever since. Generations of teachers and critics have succeeded in taming most literary and learned writing, but intransitive lay persists in familiar speech and is a bit more common in general prose than one might suspect. Much of the problem lies in the confusing similarity of the principal parts of the two words. Another influence may be a folk belief that lie is for people and lay is for things. Some commentators are ready to abandon the distinction, suggesting that lay is on the rise socially. But if it does rise to respectability, it is sure to do so slowly: many people have invested effort in learning to keep lie and lay distinct. Remember that even though many people do use lay for lie, others will judge you unfavorably if you do.

Examples of LAY

1. Lay the fabric carefully on the table.
2. He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.
3. She laid the baby in his crib for a nap.
4. When will they lay the foundation for the addition?
5. lay tracks for the new railroad
6. They laid him in his grave.

Origin of LAY

Middle English leyen, from Old English lecgan; akin to Old English licgan to lie — more at lie

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to LAY

Synonyms

depose, deposit, dispose, emplace, fix, place, position, put, set, set up, situate, stick

Antonyms

raise

Related Words

move, rearrange, reorder, shift; orient; establish, locate, plant, settle; clap, flop, plank, plop, plump, plunk (or plonk), plunk down, slap; ensconce, niche; assemble, collect; carry; berth, park; affix, anchor, lock, lodge, wedge; array, lay out, line up, queue, rank; set down

Near Antonyms

relocate, remove, take; banish; dislodge, displace, replace, supersede, supplant

Rhymes with LAY

a, ae, bay, bey, blae, brae, bray, chez, clay, Cray, day, dey, dray, eh, fay, fey, flay, fley, frae, fray, Frey, gay, Gay, gey, gley, gray, hay, he, hey, Hue, j, jay, Jay, k, kay, Kay, lei, may, nay, né, née, neigh, Ney, pay, pe, play, pray, prey, qua, quai, quay, Rae, ray, re, say, shay, slay, sleigh, spae, spay, Spey, splay, spray, stay, stray, sway, Tay, they, tray, trey, way, weigh, whey, yea

²lay

noun \ˈlā\

Definition of LAY

1

: covert, lair

2

: something (as a layer) that lies or is laid (see ¹lay)

3

a : line of action : plan

b : line of work : occupation

4

a : terms of sale or employment : price

b : share of profit (as on a whaling voyage) paid in lieu of wages

5

a : the amount of advance of any point in a rope strand for one turn

b : the nature of a fiber rope as determined by the amount of twist, the angle of the strands, and the angle of the threads in the strands

6

: the way in which a thing lies or is laid in relation to something else <the lay of the land>

7

: the state of one that lays eggs <hens coming into lay>

8

a usually vulgar : a partner in sexual intercourse

b usually vulgar : sexual intercourse

Origin of LAY

(see ¹lay)

First Known Use: 1590

⁴lay

noun \ˈlā\

Definition of LAY

1

: a simple narrative poem : ballad

2

: melody, song

Origin of LAY

Middle English, from Anglo-French lai (see ⁵lay)

First Known Use: 13th century

Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody

⁵lay

adjective \ˈlā\

Definition of LAY

1

: of or relating to the laity : not ecclesiastical

2

: of or relating to members of a religious house occupied with domestic or manual work <a lay brother>

3

: not of a particular profession <the lay public>; also : lacking extensive knowledge of a particular subject

Examples of LAY

1. a science magazine written for the lay public

Origin of LAY

Middle English, from Anglo-French lai, from Late Latin laicus, from Greek laikos of the people, from laos people

First Known Use: 15th century