lain

verb

Definition of lainnext
past participle of lie
1
as in gone
to be positioned along a certain course or in a certain direction the train tracks lie just over that hill

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in been
to occupy a place or location I left the book lying on the counter

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in hidden
to remain out of sight paparazzi were lying in wait outside the restaurant, a well-known celebrity hangout

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lain
  1. gone
  2. been
  3. extended
  4. sat
  5. led
  6. run
Verb
  • Over the past six months, Ella Langley has gone from country-music famous to being a household name.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Many Californians have already gone ahead in the legal gray area, purchasing the panels online and plugging them in.
    — Blanca Begert, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of gone
Verb
  • Naperville residents who’ve been unable to use Book Road for most of the year will see a little relief once the stretch between 75th and 83rd streets reopens by month’s end.
    — Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Some of the greatest shows on Earth these days are coming from the road warriors who’ve been out there the longest.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of been
Verb
  • High-yield corporate bonds extended a five-day rout to the lowest since April 2025, according to the iShares iBoxx High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG).
    — Oliver Renick, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
  • After all, if the ultimate goal of a central bank is to regulate the temperature of an economy by changing the cost of credit, then the fact that credit is increasingly extended by the bond market rather than banks inevitably has consequences.
    — Robin Wigglesworth, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of extended
Verb
  • This fine establishment has sat at the same address in the Williamsburg Bridge's shadow since 1887, and the interiors carry about as many frills as your average public house—dark wood, plaster walls, and so on.
    — Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Dec. 2025
  • The birthday boy and his big sister Sterling Skye, 3, each sat between one of their parents’ laps.
    — Angel Saunders, People.com, 24 Dec. 2024
Definition of sat
Verb
  • This led mathematicians to suspect that the odd values were also likely irrational.
    — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Kosovo has criticized the verdicts as unjust, maintaining that the KLA, which Thaci had led before entering politics, fought against Serbian oppression.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of led
Verb
  • After living in the City of Lights for more than a decade, the designer said he was drawn to its features, which informed his palette that runs from sky blues to Seine greens, via tones inspired by its typical stone buildings.
    — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Every action is decisive and cannot be reversed, just as the film runs ever forward through the projector.
    — Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of run
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.

Browse Nearby Words

laid up
lain
lain (down)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lain. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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