as in to store
to put (something of future use or value) in a safe or secret place
be sure to lay in enough food for the long Alaska winter
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Recent Examples of lay in
Another affinity between the Romanians and the Iraqis lay in the fact that both knew the difficulties of living under a dictatorship.
—
Alissa Simon, Variety, 9 Jan. 2026
While 3-4 won’t get you there, the first steps clearly lay in the coming days.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2025
Liverpool’s pursuit of Champions League qualification lay in tatters.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
For Dickinson, the greater challenge lay in finding the right tone to strike around the film’s sensitive subject matter of homelessness and mental health.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay in
Alissa Simon, Variety, 9 Jan. 2026
While 3-4 won’t get you there, the first steps clearly lay in the coming days.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2025
Liverpool’s pursuit of Champions League qualification lay in tatters.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
For Dickinson, the greater challenge lay in finding the right tone to strike around the film’s sensitive subject matter of homelessness and mental health.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay in
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay in
Verb
-
Before this week, water stored in snowpack was near record-minimum levels in Colorado and Utah, a critical portion of the Colorado River basin that serves approximately 40 million people.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Stars use fusion to generate hundreds of times the energy stored even gravitationally.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In the calls, Mary detailed to the deputies the steps Nathan was taking to kill her, from affixing a tracker on her car to stashing a black backpack in her garage containing duct tape, zip ties and a note with the word ‘waterboarding’ written on it.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
15 Feb. 2026
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Plus, there are subtle side pockets to secretly stash your phone, keys, and other small essentials.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Texas Christian University Horned Frogs forward Marta Suárez (7) lays up a first half shot against the Houston Cougars during the first half at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, February 4, 2026.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The only time the Fitzgerald made it to its homeport of Milwaukee was when the ship was laid up during the 1959 steel strike, from June to October.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20in. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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