layover

1 of 2

noun

lay·​over ˈlā-ˌō-vər 

: stopover

lay over

2 of 2

verb

laid over; laying over; lays over

transitive verb

: postpone

intransitive verb

: to make a stopover

Synonyms

Noun

• stop
• stopover

Verb

• defer
• delay
• hold off (on)
• hold over
• hold up
• postpone
• put off
• put over
• remit
• shelve

Examples of layover in a Sentence

Noun

our flight from New York to San Francisco made a layover in Chicago

Verb

we'll have to lay over a discussion of the issue until the next meeting

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Drama centers on a romance between a white tourist and a young Caribbean man who, over the course of a fleeting 12-hour layover, confront their desires, vulnerabilities and the unspoken weight of privilege. —Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 19 May 2025

Best of all, this South American destination is an exotic escape that doesn’t require travel with multiple connections and long layovers. —Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025

Verb

In the end, his beautiful story solutions are formulaic fixes laid over those details, meant to do little more than the eternal work of cajoling the audience into rooting for the leading players. —Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 9 June 2025

By contrast, Doom: The Dark Ages opens with a text wall laid over black, filling in some lore about the eponymous Doom Slayer with the whistling winds of a storm brewing in the background. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1873, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1838, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for layover

• carryover
• changeover
• crossover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover
• holdover
• leftover
• makeover
• moreover
• passover
• pullover

Kids Definition

layover

1 of 2 noun

lay·​over ˈlā-ˌō-vər 

: stopover sense 1

lay over

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)lā-ˈō-vər

: to make a temporary halt or stop