lairs

noun

plural of lair
1
as in hideouts
a place where a person goes to hide or to avoid others the detectives tracked the thieves to their lair and arrested them

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in nests
the shelter or resting place of a wild animal we found an abandoned fox's lair in the woods behind the barn

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in beds
British dialect a place set aside for sleeping while he was on the road, he used the back compartment of his lorry as his lair

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of lairs These involve raiding the lairs of hoodlum rivals, then singlehandedly dissuading them from competition. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lairs
  1. hideouts
  2. nests
  3. beds
  4. dens
  5. houses
  6. couches
  7. burrows
Noun
  • Others recounted people falling sick, being beaten by the rain, and told to hide whenever Nigerian military helicopters flew over the forest hideouts where the captors held them.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Security forces carried out a ground operation along the border late Sunday, followed by strikes against militant hideouts and safe havens, killing 29 fighters, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said.
    — Abdul Qahar Afghan, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
Definition of hideouts
Noun
  • In the Chesapeake Bay, osprey chicks are dying in their nests at rates not seen since the DDT era.
    — Mark Robichaux, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Paper wasps build nests under eaves, benches and fence railings and will sting if disturbed.
    — Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of nests
Noun
  • Everyone has their own terrace, prettily planted with bougainvillaea and hibiscus, with a barbecue, sun beds, and hot tub or swimming pool.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2026
  • In the garden beds, the decorative pigs and cats were blown over.
    — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of beds
Noun
  • As people continue to seek comfort and meaningful moments at home, dens provide the ideal environment.
    — Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Beyond hazing, Badger and Banjo help flush bears from urban dens, crawl beneath houses to locate animals in crawl spaces, and search for injured or orphaned bears.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of dens
Noun
  • The new houses going up on Acacia Lane look a lot like one-story versions of the taller houses on the other side of the street.
    — Julie Z. Weil, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The family lives in Nepalikhuti village, one of the worst affected with over 1,000 animals washed away and 200 houses destroyed.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of houses
Noun
  • From trashing bedrooms and throwing couches, the pair tumbles down stairs and has a chase across the lawn before ending up in the pool.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
  • At the palatial Grand Hotel Tremezzo, the lake's true grande dame, owner Valentina De Santis ensures her couches, pillows, and more are upholstered by Rubelli.
    — Ondine Cohane, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of couches
Noun
  • As opposed to beavers that build dams and lodges, block streams and divert and channel water, these beavers dig underwater into the bank of the reservoir and access their burrows through underground tunnels.
    — Carl R. Gold, Baltimore Sun, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Research suggests these insects, found in northeastern Illinois and other Midwestern states, require burrows created by Great Plains mudbugs and water flowing over the mineral dolomite, Garrison said.
    — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of burrows

Browse Nearby Words

lairds
lairs
laities
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lairs. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on lairs

Nglish: Translation of lairs 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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

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?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

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
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All