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
  • The sweep was Miami’s fifth in 11 series since the start of June, a stretch in which the Marlins have gone 26-8 to catapult up the standings.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026
  • Since the audit tool was introduced, multiple departments have announced arrests of officers across the state, signaling a level of misuse that may have previously gone undetected.
    — Taylor Croft, AJC.com, 9 July 2026
Definition of gone
Verb
  • How electric has the atmosphere at Madison Square Garden been during the Finals, especially during and after Game 4’s comeback?
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 13 June 2026
  • Three races in, there’ve been unforeseen winners, unpredicted changes to the schedule and the unanticipated reality of regulation changes dawning.
    — Amanda Davies, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
Definition of been
Verb
  • Aerial video captured by ABC7 showed smoke rising from a smoldering truck as a long line of cars extended south of the incident.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • After a two-month grace period — which Wellcare extended to three — Medicare drug plans can drop customers who don't pay their premiums, no matter how small the amount.
    — Susan Jaffe, NPR, 6 July 2026
Definition of extended
Verb
  • Levi Jones, a 33-year-old business owner, pulled up to Sacred Eye Tattoos in Hollywood last week and sat for eight hours getting a photorealistic black-and-white portrait of Mangione on his leg.
    — Amanda Rosa, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024
  • 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
  • Sacramento led 70-58 at the end of the third quarter and went up by as many as 16 in the fourth.
    — Jason Anderson July 9, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026
  • The top deals in the region were led by aerospace and defense companies Anduril Industries, which raised $5 billion, and Impulse Space, which attracted $500 million.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
Definition of led
Verb
  • Injuries, pitching problems, batting with runners in scoring position and base-running issues all come to mind quickly.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 11 July 2026
  • The TikTok edits, the outfit identification threads, the contestant rivalries trending on X by the end of an episode, all of it turns 60 minutes of passive viewing into a multi-platform conversation that runs all week.
    — Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 11 July 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 11 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on lain

Nglish: Translation of lain for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of xeric

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All