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

• enact
• 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

Millions of Russian men, unwilling to take on lower-status work, lay down on the couch and took to drink. —Julia Ioffe, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025

Second, disassociate from Hamas and other terrorist groups, including Iran, lay down all arms, and come to the table with a plan to live in harmony with Israel. —Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2025

Hamas fighters who lay down their arms will also be given amnesty and allowed to leave Gaza under the plan. —Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025

If weeds or grass were already growing in the area, lay down some weed barrier fabric or a layer of mulch, cardboard, or newspaper to prevent the weeds from regrowing. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for lay down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

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