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
The immaculate print appeared to this layman’s eye to look about as sharp as contemporary digital Imax, but with the celluloid origins and print adding additional richness.
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 30 Apr. 2025
The Papal Gentlemen—laymen who attend to the Pope’s private needs and aid in his displays of hospitality and diplomacy—acted as pallbearers in black suits, carrying the unadorned wooden casket that held Francis’s body.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2025
Last summer, at a press conference in Las Vegas, league commissioner Adam Silver was asked whether the new CBA, with all its attendant jargon, was making the league too difficult for the layman to follow.
—Jordan Sargent, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2025
Ludacris praises Miller for his affable personality and his ability to explain things in layman’s terms.
—Todd Longwell, Variety, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for layman
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Chris Willman, Variety, 30 Apr. 2025
The Papal Gentlemen—laymen who attend to the Pope’s private needs and aid in his displays of hospitality and diplomacy—acted as pallbearers in black suits, carrying the unadorned wooden casket that held Francis’s body.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2025
Last summer, at a press conference in Las Vegas, league commissioner Adam Silver was asked whether the new CBA, with all its attendant jargon, was making the league too difficult for the layman to follow.
—Jordan Sargent, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2025
Ludacris praises Miller for his affable personality and his ability to explain things in layman’s terms.
—Todd Longwell, Variety, 9 Apr. 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 30 Jun. 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
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