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
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Twenty years later, Iraq War veteran Aaron Hughes continues spreading his realization that soldiers can better champion American ideals by following their conscience over orders.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025 -
About 25% of female breast cancer cases were found at the regional stage, meaning the cancer had spread to nearby lymph nodes, tissues, or organs, and 6% were found at a distant stage, meaning the cancer had spread to distant parts of the body, CDC data shows.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The health care sector accounted for 48% of that lackluster growth, expanding by about 232,000 jobs, even though the sector employs only about 11% of workers.—
Phillip Reese,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
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Its outcome could define how far immigration officers may go in workplaces across the country, shaping protections for millions of Americans employed in industries with large immigrant labor forces and testing whether the Fourth Amendment meaningfully constrains interior enforcement.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In their new study, the team successfully applied the same time-reversal idea to optical clocks.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Oct. 2025
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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
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Two years later, he was hired by The Tennessean's sports department.—
Nicole Young,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 Oct. 2025
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These new pressures add to existing ones, such as building state-of-the-art facilities and hiring expensive coaches in hopes of landing recruits.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Brood parasites such as cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, tricking the hosts into caring for their offspring at the expense of their own.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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In the opening scene, Swift is seen laying inside a painting with long blond hair and side bangs.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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Blood was smeared throughout the business.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
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After smearing Tylenol, the president's unscripted remarks quickly veered into an incoherent rant linking vaccines to autism as well.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
24 Sep. 2025
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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 9 Oct. 2025.
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