: a purchasing agreement by which a retailer agrees to hold merchandise secured by a deposit until the price is paid in full by the customer
laid away; laying away; lays away
: to put aside for future use or delivery
Examples of layaway in a Sentence
Noun
We bought the table and chairs on layaway, so we won't have them until December.
The store offers a layaway plan for large purchases.
Verb
the weather forecast warned of a severe storm, so we laid away a generous supply of bottled water and canned food just in case
Recent Examples on the Web
Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
The foundation has also eased seasonal burdens by covering holiday layaway balances for 515 military families.
—CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Tom Hyland, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2021
See All Example Sentences for layaway
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Noun
The foundation has raised $700,000 for military support and paid off holiday layaway for 515 military families.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
The foundation has also eased seasonal burdens by covering holiday layaway balances for 515 military families.
—CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Verb
Yet, despite the tannins, Freisa is not a wine to lay away in most examples, but rather one that should be enjoyed early on, often chilled, with soups, seafood or lighter meats.
—Tom Hyland, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2021
See All Example Sentences for layaway
Cite this Entry
“Layaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/layaway. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
layaway
1 of 2 noun
lay·away
ˈlā-ə-ˌwā 
: a purchasing agreement by which a seller agrees to hold merchandise on which a deposit has been made until the price is paid in full by the buyer
lay away
2 of 2 verbˈlā-ə-ˈwā
: to put aside for future use or delivery
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