lay down

laid down; laying down; lays down

Definition of lay down

transitive verb

1 : to give up : surrender lay down your arms

2a : establish, prescribe lay down a scale for a map

b : to assert or command dogmatically lay down the law

3a : store, preserve laid down a young wine

b : record laying down songs for their new album

4a : 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 & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about lay down

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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 But more importantly, the process of turning a gas into a plasma can be harnessed to lay down or strip layers off of materials one atom at a time. — Megan Molteni, Wired, "Vaccine Makers Turn to Microchip Tech to Beat Glass Shortages," 26 June 2020 Last June, a group of protesters lay down in the intersection of Market and Sixth streets. — Ryan Kost, SFChronicle.com, "50 years of San Francisco Pride, from Stonewall to Black Lives Matter," 26 June 2020 Essence lay down, her back pressed into the asphalt of the Burnside Bridge. — oregonlive, "‘The world needs to see this.’ The story behind the iconic photo of the Burnside Bridge protest in Portland," 23 June 2020 These small and portable massage balls are easy to use—just lay down on a hard surface with them underneath whichever area is bothering you most. — Popular Science, "Fascia-busting products for rolling out your sore muscles," 8 Oct. 2019 Following a peace deal in 2016, the organization agreed to lay down arms in a bid to pursue influence via politics, rather than violence. — CNN, "Colombian forces rescue kidnapped foreigners -- and their two little dogs," 19 June 2020 Williams lay down on his stomach, and the two officers handcuffed him. — Anita Hassan, NBC News, "When Byron Williams died saying 'I can't breathe,' few protested. Now his family is fighting for justice.," 18 June 2020 The likes of the militant Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), signed historical agreements in 2018 to lay down arms and pursue their struggle via political means. — Zecharias Zelalem, Quartz Africa, "Ethiopia’s decision to delay its election for Covid will have consequences for its democratic goals," 18 June 2020 Hundreds of people have knelt or lay down in the middle of roadways for eight minutes and 46 seconds — the amount of time Floyd lay pinned under the police officer’s knee. — Helen Wieffering, azcentral, "First-time protesters in Arizona join the march in support of black lives," 11 June 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lay down.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near lay down

lay corporation

lay down one's arms

lay down one's life

lay down the law

Statistics for lay down

Last Updated

5 Jul 2020

Cite this Entry

“Lay down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lay%20down. Accessed 11 Jul. 2020.

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