LAID DOWN Synonyms: 144 Similar and Opposite Words

laid down

verb

past tense of lay down

as in enacted

to put into effect through legislative or authoritative action the city council promises to lay down new ordinances that will force dog walkers to clean up after their animals

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as in declared

to state clearly and strongly at the risk of their popularity, the parents laid down the rules for the party and wouldn't accept any arguments

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in specified

to give the rules about (something) clearly and exactly the supervisor laid down the procedure for a complaint of sexual harassment

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as in relinquished

to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress commanded the surrounded troops to lay down their weapons

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for laid down

Verb

People who had already turned 55 when the law was enacted also were given until August 2021 to file lawsuits, no matter when the alleged abuse occurred.

— John Hanna, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
In the same era, Democrats in Congress enacted a raft of social programs that would become part of the language, such as Medicare and Medicaid.

— Ron Elving, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of enacted

Verb

Both candidates and their surrogates immediately declared victory after the debate, which was held at the Mohegan Sun casino and broadcast live on WTNH, Channel 8.

— Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 28 Oct. 2026
Eisenkot, a former military chief of staff, earlier in the day had declared victory and said the preliminary result — which had his bloc slightly ahead — should give him the first right to try to form a government.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of declared

Verb

The Pentagon is preparing additional records for public release, although officials have not specified when the next batch will appear.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
For now the collaboration is geared toward middle and high school students, with a focus on the latter, in a few partner Y locations (not yet specified).

— Laura Zornosa, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of specified

Verb

Although dozens of islands were claimed through this process, the overwhelming bulk of these claims were relinquished in the late 20th century as the island countries of Oceania began to achieve independence.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026
Panettiere had relinquished custody of Kaya to Klitschko in 2018.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of relinquished

Verb

In 2021, the Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill 1028, which first permitted public HEIs, with approval from the Florida Department of Education, to authorize charter schools.

— Thibaut Delloue, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026
Medicaid cuts passed in a 2025 tax bill set to take effect next year are expected to exacerbate states’ problems.

— Ben Smith, semafor.com, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of passed

Verb

Assistant District Attorney Jason Judd asserted at a pretrial conference that the expert would be material, or critical, at trial and that representatives of the state had met in person with the expert.

— Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Oct. 2026
JetBlue, which has tied a large portion of its financial future to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, left the ranks of the discounters some time ago, Harteveldt asserted.

— David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of asserted

Verb

Six additional states require registration of some firearms, such as handguns or those defined as assault weapons, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
While floods of images and their competing narratives have all but defined the digital age, this battleground of misinformation has had notable consequences in the region.

— Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of defined

Verb

With each impact, Sarah’s face disintegrates into a bloodier pulp, her bone structure buckling under every successive thud until Nikki has finally and irrevocably rendered the character a faceless corpse.

— Chris Lee, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
The umbrella was quickly rendered useless as the winds were blowing hard.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of rendered

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.

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laid by

laid down

laid eyes on

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“Laid down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laid%20down. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of laid down

verb

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