1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

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
  • With Mascaro gone, long-term producing collaborator of Desvia, Camille Reis, became a partner and is now leading on several projects.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Discussion about Project Ada has gone quiet since the arrival of Matt Brittin, the BBC’s new director general, and the exit of chief operating officer Leigh Tavaziva.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 24 Sep. 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
  • In May, the TPLF forced out regional leader Tadesse Werede, who reported to Abiy, and replaced him with a new council led by TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael, who led the Tigrayans in the previous conflict.
    — SAMUEL GETACHEW, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Melissa McCarthy Melissa McCarthy notably led the lash trend on the carpet, adding full sets that flew over her matte shadow and kissed the tops of her hooded lids.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 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 1 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
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 slew

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

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
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All