lay by

verb

Definition of lay bynext
1
as in to dump
to get rid of as useless or unwanted a politician who had laid by his principles years ago

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to store
to put (something of future use or value) in a safe or secret place ever since the last hurricane caught them unprepared, they have laid by emergency supplies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay by
  1. dump
  2. store
  3. discard
  4. lay in
  5. ditch
  6. stash
  7. unload
  8. lay up
Verb
  • Michael Conforto dumped a full beer down the back of an unsuspecting Carson Kelly while across the room Shota Imanaga threw his head back, opened his arms and let out a yell as assistant hitting coach Juan Cabreja uncorked the champagne.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Unlike institutional investors, who rely on algorithms to dump underperforming shares at the first sign of trouble, Coyle says retail buyers are more likely to stick around in good times and bad.
    — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of dump
Verb
  • Research suggests that low ferritin, a protein that stores iron inside your cells, is associated with different forms of hair loss, including telogen effluvium, in women.
    — Lindsey Bever, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2026
  • By the time Simon helped with the redecoration, her dad had settled into another chapter of life, selling arcade games and raising his family, and leaving the traces of his former career stored in a large collection of Kodachrome slides.
    — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of store
Verb
  • A number of items were voluntarily discarded due to contamination, including cling film, ovenable pan liners and baking cups.
    — Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Keep what users genuinely value, discard what solves an imaginary problem and rebuild only what deserves another experiment.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of discard
Verb
  • The challenge lay in orchestrating these systems simultaneously.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Three roach corpses lay in the kitchen at the dishwashing area.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of lay in
Verb
  • Opponents of ditching testing requirements argued that the exams are a key tool to uniformly predict academic success from students of divergent backgrounds, as well as schools that may issue grades differently.
    — Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • With that hub in mind, design firm Studio De Voogt, along with the engineering and naval architects at Feadship, crafted an expansive open space at the core of Hive, ditching the conventional superyacht interior entirely.
    — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of ditch
Verb
  • Who’s offering him Cool Ranch Doritos from the bag stashed inside his Speedo.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The behaviors run the full range, from tiny tweaks like stashing the phone across the room, killing pointless notifications and blocking off screen-free stretches, all the way to full-day commitments to unplug.
    — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of stash
Verb
  • Some market watchers, meanwhile, asked if investors soured on the IPO because the company was treating it primarily as an opportunity to unload secondary shares rather than as a way to raise capital.
    — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026
  • When Bisnow struggled to unload a piano in the driveway, their new neighbors stepped in to help.
    — Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of unload
Verb
  • Mayflies lay up to 10,000 eggs in the water, and their nymphs can't survive in water that is polluted.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 29 June 2026
  • Female wasps can lay up to 200 eggs a day as long as a host insect is available.
    — Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 19 June 2026
Definition of lay up
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

lay back
lay by
lay down
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lay by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20by. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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