lay down

verb

laid down; laying down; lays down

transitive verb

1

: to give up : surrender

lay down your arms

2

a

: establish, prescribe

lay down a scale for a map

b

: to assert or command dogmatically

lay down the law

3

a

: store, preserve

laid down a young wine

b

: record

laying down songs for their new album

4

a

: to direct toward a target

lay down a barrage

b

: to hit along the ground

laid down a sacrifice bunt

intransitive verb

nonstandard : to lie down

Synonyms

• constitute
• enact
• legislate
• make
• ordain
• pass

Examples of lay down in a Sentence

the city council promises to lay down new ordinances that will force dog walkers to clean up after their animals

at the risk of their popularity, the parents laid down the rules for the party and wouldn't accept any arguments

Recent Examples on the Web

There is little reason to believe that the Biden administration’s efforts to lay down a post-Gaza peace plan will be any more successful. —Tom Segev, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024

The idea was to designate the base of the Anthropocene as the layer of Crawford Lake sediment laid down in 1952—and, more specifically, as the 1952 layer preserved in one particular core kept in a freezer in Quebec. —Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024

Workers laid down purple tracks last week during renovation work to adapt the Stade de France. —Patrick Smith, NBC News, 15 Apr. 2024

Heritage's Gabi Kelly laid down a nice squeeze bunt to score a run and another run scored on the play thanks to a Gentry throwing error for a 3-2 lead. —Paul Boyd, arkansasonline.com, 12 Apr. 2024

After a single by Gavin Kelley, Ezekiel Vargas laid down a run-scoring bunt single to give the Knights the lead. —Michael Huntley, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024

If heavy rain falls after a farmer has recently laid down fertilizer, it can be washed away. —Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024

The new facility, equipped with cutting-edge technology and complying with Europe's most rigorous safety rules laid down in the relevant legislation, in particular ICPE 1510, is poised to provide a competitive advantage for Vision Marine in the rapidly growing electric boat market. —Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024

The video stitches together shots of Dua laying down vocals, writing lyrics in a notebook and jamming out to inaudible beats. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 3 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Video

Lay vs. Lie

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.

Kids Definition

lay down

verb

1

: establish sense 1, prescribe

lay down standards

2

: to state or declare forcefully

lay down the law