1
: a person who is not a member of the clergy
The parish council consisted of both clergy and laymen.
2
: a person who does not belong to a particular profession or who is not expert in some field
For a layman, he knows a lot about the law.
Did you know?
Layman is a closed compound of lay man. Lay is an adjective that means "of or relating to the people of a religious faith (but not of its clergy)." The origins of lay and layman go back to Greek laikos, meaning "of the people." Layman was originally used to distinguish between non-clerical people and the clergy before being used to distinguish non-professionals from professionals in a field (such as law or medicine).
Examples of layman in a Sentence
For a layman, he knows a lot about the law.
He's an important layman in his church.
Recent Examples on the Web
In layman’s terms, there’s a little joint in the knee that helps connect the shin bone and the fibula.
—
Greg Liodice, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
In layman’s terms, the car ran too close to the ground, something that yields performance benefits by increasing downforce.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2025
For laymen, these molecules are involved in chemical reactions that lead to more complex molecules essential to organic life.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2025
In layman’s terms, that means partner universities will be adjusting course to target skills that employers have identified aren’t being taught in a classroom setting.
—Austin Hornbostel, Nashville Tennessean, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for layman
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Greg Liodice, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
In layman’s terms, the car ran too close to the ground, something that yields performance benefits by increasing downforce.
—Luke Smith, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2025
For laymen, these molecules are involved in chemical reactions that lead to more complex molecules essential to organic life.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2025
In layman’s terms, that means partner universities will be adjusting course to target skills that employers have identified aren’t being taught in a classroom setting.
—Austin Hornbostel, Nashville Tennessean, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for layman
Cite this Entry
“Layman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/layman. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
layman
noun
lay·man
ˈlā-mən 
: a person who is not a member of the clergy or a member of a particular profession
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share