layup

1 of 2

noun

lay·​up ˈlā-ˌəp 

1

: the action of laying up or the condition of being laid up

2

: a shot in basketball made from near the basket usually by playing the ball off the backboard

lay up

2 of 2

verb

laid up; laying up; lays up

transitive verb

1

: to store up : lay by

2

: to disable or confine with illness or injury

a knee injury laid him up for a week

3

: to take out of active service

Synonyms

Verb

• store
• lay in
• stash
• lay by

Examples of layup in a Sentence

Verb

an eating disorder that would impel her to lay up candy bars in her closet for all-night food binges

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Fleetwood’s miss of an 8-foot putt for par then gave Bradley a layup, a pocket-hanger, a fastball down the middle, depending on your sport of choice, a very similar putt for birdie and the $3.6 million Travelers Championship first prize. —Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 22 June 2025

Most people need to jump off the opposite foot of their shooting hand on layups to maintain balance and core strength. —Jared Weiss, New York Times, 19 June 2025

Verb

Considering a mature colony can include up to 400,000 worker ants, a queen can lay up to 1,000 eggs a day, and that there can be several colonies per acre of land, fire ants can sometimes seem like the perfect pest. —Gareth McGrath, USA Today, 28 June 2025

Females can lay up to 100 eggs during a lifetime, which hatch in three to six weeks. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 27 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

layup

1 of 2 noun

lay·​up ˈlā-ˌəp 

: a basketball shot made from near the basket usually by bouncing the ball off the backboard

lay up

2 of 2 verb

1

: to store up

2

: to disable or confine with illness or injury

a knee injury laid her up for a week

3

: to take out of active service