1
as in to enact
to put into effect through legislative or authoritative action
the city council promises to lay down new ordinances that will force dog walkers to clean up after their animals
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to declare
to state clearly and strongly
at the risk of their popularity, the parents laid down the rules for the party and wouldn't accept any arguments
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to specify
to give the rules about (something) clearly and exactly
the supervisor laid down the procedure for a complaint of sexual harassment
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to relinquish
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress
commanded the surrounded troops to lay down their weapons
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lay down
Then my sister lay down next to me.
—
NPR, 26 Nov. 2025
Millions of Russian men, unwilling to take on lower-status work, lay down on the couch and took to drink.
—Julia Ioffe, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
Second, disassociate from Hamas and other terrorist groups, including Iran, lay down all arms, and come to the table with a plan to live in harmony with Israel.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2025
Hamas fighters who lay down their arms will also be given amnesty and allowed to leave Gaza under the plan.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay down
NPR, 26 Nov. 2025
Millions of Russian men, unwilling to take on lower-status work, lay down on the couch and took to drink.
—Julia Ioffe, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
Second, disassociate from Hamas and other terrorist groups, including Iran, lay down all arms, and come to the table with a plan to live in harmony with Israel.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2025
Hamas fighters who lay down their arms will also be given amnesty and allowed to leave Gaza under the plan.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay down
Verb
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No waiver is in place for the 2026-27 academic year, however, so a final year of college basketball for Buchanan will hinge on whether something similar will be enacted again for non-NCAA transfers.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Apr. 2026
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In setting new standards for the film-and-television industry, while also raising wages and benefits, this agreement was precisely the sort of thing Dube is advocating for other sectors to adopt, even though it was enacted through collective bargaining rather than by government action.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
California declared a moratorium on offshore-drilling projects.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
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But Roosevelt later declared his time there a glorious period of strenuous living and personal rebirth.—
Beverly Gage,
The Atlantic,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
No back orders, unless specified by the individual vendor.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
In the European Union, companies cannot unilaterally change the terms of a contract without providing proper justification specified in advance of those provisions taking effect.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Min Aung Hlaing, who had attained the rank of senior general, last week relinquished his post of commander-in-chief because the constitution prohibits the president from simultaneously holding the top military position.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
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Mostly because this lesson required me to relinquish my take-home treats.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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However, smaller trucking companies do not always have the ability to pass those costs on to customers without risking losing business.—
Brady Halbleib,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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City Council passed an ordinance in 2019 banning new mini-storage facilities and auto service shops on a section of Stockton Boulevard.—
ANNIKA MERRILEES,
Sacbee.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Trump has asserted himself as the nation's top law enforcer in his second term, personally directing the attorney general and other top officials on whom to investigate and whom to prosecute.—
Devin Dwyer,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The founders, who included Altman, Sutskever, Brockman, and Elon Musk, asserted that artificial intelligence could be the most powerful, and potentially dangerous, invention in human history, and that perhaps, given the existential risk, an unusual corporate structure would be required.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His death marked the loss of a titan in the Civil Rights Movement, defined by a six-decade career that took him across the country and around the world.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Apr. 2026
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These players have partly defined this season, and they won’t be honored?—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Conservationists celebrated when wolves — which were rendered locally extinct in 1924, the same year that the last grizzly was killed — migrated into the state from Oregon 15 years ago.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
8 Apr. 2026
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Many are rendered in his signature teardrop style, where droplets hold fragments of memory and history.—
Jane Horowitz,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20down. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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