1
as in to spread
to put a layer of on a surface
she lays the butter on so thickly that you hardly taste the bagel
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to employ
chiefly British
to provide with a paying job
lay on more staff for the busy tourist season in the Lake District
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay on
Verb
-
Controlling a fire means ensuring that the fire can't spread or cross the containment line.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
11 Oct. 2025 -
These swells are expected to spread toward the Turks and Caicos Islands and Bahamas tonight and on Saturday.—
MIAMI HERALD HURRICANE BOT,
Miami Herald,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The explosion occurred during an early shift at Accurate Energetic Systems, a manufacturer of military and demolition explosives that employs scores of local residents.—
Isabel Rosales,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
-
The new facilities will be built by local construction crews, and local workers will likely be employed at the base to support the training operations, Stefanek said.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In their new study, the team successfully applied the same time-reversal idea to optical clocks.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Oct. 2025
-
The new tax will apply to specific transactions made with cash, money orders, cashier’s checks or similar physical instruments.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But while many hiring professionals are concerned about applicants using AI in the process, one leader actually hunts for talent using the tech in application rounds.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
12 Oct. 2025
-
For retailers, drones could help protect profits, staff, and customers without the rising costs of hiring additional guards.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Since being deployed to the nation’s capital in August, many guardsmen have been assigned to help with beautification projects like picking up trash and laying mulch, according to CNN.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Oct. 2025
-
With each brick laid at The Site, The Toy will document dad’s decades-long dream.—
Dana Harris-Bridson,
IndieWire,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Bishnoi used social media to grow his gang, uploading videos and photos of his group’s criminal acts to recruit young people, according to his chargesheet.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
-
The bank actively recruits from a broad selection of schools worldwide and particularly values candidates with STEM backgrounds, given that Goldman employs over 10,000 engineers.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The recklessness of Netanyahu's government has smeared on Israel's face a stain that will be difficult to erase even with a generation's effort.—
Ehud Barak,
Time,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The demand for arbitration alleged a campaign to smear the former anchor.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20on. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share