lay

1 of 5

verb

laid ˈlād How to pronounce lay (audio) ; laying

transitive verb

1
: to beat or strike down with force
2
a
: to put or set down
lay your books on the table
b
: to place for rest or sleep
She laid the baby in his crib for a nap.
especially : bury
3
: to bring forth and deposit (an egg)
4
: calm, allay
lay the dust
5
: bet, wager
6
: to press down giving a smooth and even surface
brushing to lay the nap
7
a
: to dispose or spread over or on a surface
lay track
lay plaster
b
: to set in order or position
lay a table for dinner
lay brick
c
: to put (strands) in place and twist to form a rope, hawser, or cable
also : to make by putting strands in place and twisting
lay up rope
8
a
: to impose as a duty, burden, or punishment
lay a tax
b
: to put as a burden of reproach
laid the blame on her
c
: to advance as an accusation : impute
the disaster was laid to faulty inspection
9
: to place (something immaterial) on something
lay stress on grammar
10
: prepare, contrive
a well-laid plan
11
a
: to bring against or into contact with something : apply
laid the watch to his ear
b
: to prepare or position for action or operation
lay a fire in the fireplace
also : to adjust (a gun) to the proper direction and elevation
12
: to bring to a specified condition
lay waste the land
13
a
: assert, allege
lay claim to an estate
b
: to submit for examination and judgment
laid her case before the commission
14
often vulgar : to copulate with

intransitive verb

1
: to produce and deposit eggs
2
nonstandard : lie entry 1
3
: wager, bet
4
dialect : plan, prepare
5
a
: to apply oneself vigorously
laid to his oars
b
: to proceed to a specified place or position on a ship
lay aloft
Lay vs. Lie: Usage Guide

Lay has been used intransitively in the sense of "lie"

going to lay down for a quick nap

since the 14th century. The practice was unremarked until around 1770; attempts to correct it have been a fixture of schoolbooks ever since. Generations of teachers and critics have succeeded in taming most literary and learned writing, but intransitive lay persists in familiar speech and is a bit more common in general prose than one might suspect. Much of the problem lies in the confusing similarity of the principal parts of the two words. Another influence may be a folk belief that lie is for people and lay is for things. Some commentators are ready to abandon the distinction, suggesting that lay is on the rise socially. But if it does rise to respectability, it is sure to do so slowly: many people have invested effort in learning to keep lie and lay distinct. Remember that even though many people do use lay for lie, others will judge you unfavorably if you do.

lay

2 of 5

noun (1)

1
2
: something (such as a layer) that lies or is laid (see lay entry 1)
3
a
: line of action : plan
b
: line of work : occupation
4
a
: terms of sale or employment : price
b
: share of profit (as on a whaling voyage) paid in lieu of wages
5
a
: the amount of advance of any point in a rope strand for one turn
b
: the nature of a fiber rope as determined by the amount of twist, the angle of the strands, and the angle of the threads in the strands
6
: the way in which a thing lies or is laid in relation to something else
the lay of the land
7
: the state of one that lays eggs
hens coming into lay
8
a
vulgar : a partner in sexual intercourse
b
usually vulgar : sexual intercourse

lay

3 of 5

past tense of lie

lay

4 of 5

noun (2)

1
: a simple narrative poem : ballad
2

lay

5 of 5

adjective

1
: of or relating to the laity : not ecclesiastical
2
: of or relating to members of a religious house occupied with domestic or manual work
a lay brother
3
: not of a particular profession
the lay public
also : lacking extensive knowledge of a particular subject
Phrases
lay an egg
: to fail or blunder especially embarrassingly
The professor tried to be funny, but he laid an egg.
lay eyes on
: see, behold
I never laid eyes on her before today.
lay into
: to attack especially verbally
laid into the referee
lay on the table
1
: to remove (a parliamentary motion) from consideration indefinitely
2
British : to put (something, such as legislation) on the agenda

Examples of lay in a Sentence

Verb Lay the fabric carefully on the table. He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. She laid the baby in his crib for a nap. When will they lay the foundation for the addition? lay tracks for the new railroad They laid him in his grave. Noun (1) my main lay is as a general contractor, but I do side work as a carpenter Noun (2) the minstrel strummed a cheerful lay on his lute she sang a short lay in dedication to her husband Adjective a science magazine written for the lay public
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
To get a detailed lay of the land, Frachetti and Maksudov equipped a drone with remote-sensing technology called lidar (light detection and ranging). Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 23 Oct. 2024 The Guaita Tower, also called the First Tower, is one of the best places to get the sprawling lay of the land. Elizabeth Heath, Travel + Leisure, 9 Oct. 2024
Adjective
The university's Board of Trustees unanimously elected Ah Yun, marking the first time a person of color will lead Marquette and just the second time a lay person is in charge. Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 20 Nov. 2024 The best choice would be someone the public and media can relate to, possibly someone on the church leadership team who is a lay leader. Joseph Marchelewski, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lay 

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun (1)

Middle English leyen, from Old English lecgan; akin to Old English licgan to lie — more at lie

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French lai — see lay entry 5

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French lai, from Late Latin laicus, from Greek laikos of the people, from laos people

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lay was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near lay

Cite this Entry

“Lay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lay. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

lay

1 of 5 verb
laid ˈlād How to pronounce lay (audio) ; laying
1
: to beat or strike down
wheat laid flat by the wind and rain
2
a
: to put or set on or against a surface or in order
lay the book on the table
lay bricks
b
: to place for rest or sleep
especially : bury sense 1
3
: to produce and deposit eggs
4
nonstandard : lie entry 1
5
: to cause to settle
a shower laid the dust
also : to make calm : allay
laid his fears
6
: to spread over a surface
lay plaster
7
: to make ready : prepare
lay plans
lay a table
8
: to deposit as a wager : bet
I'll lay you $10 on that
9
: impose sense 1a
lay a tax
lay blame
10
: to place or assign in one's scheme of things
lays great stress on manners
11
: to bring to a specified condition
lay waste to the land
12
: to put forward : submit
lay claim to an estate

lay

2 of 5 noun
: the way in which a thing lies in relation to something else
lay of the land

lay

3 of 5

past of lie entry 1

lay

4 of 5 noun
1
: a simple poem that tells a story : ballad
2

lay

5 of 5 adjective
: of or relating to laymen or the laity
Etymology

Verb

Old English lecgan "to beat down"

Noun

Middle English lay "ballad," from early French lai (same meaning)

Adjective

Middle English lay "of the people other than priests and clergy," from early French lai (same meaning), from Latin laicus "of the people," derived from Greek laos "people"

Legal Definition

lay

1 of 2 transitive verb
laid; laying
1
: to impose as a duty, burden, or punishment
lay a tax
2
a
: to put forward : assert
lay a claim
b
: to submit for examination and determination
laid a case before the commission

lay

2 of 2

past of lie

More from Merriam-Webster on lay

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!