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
Relevance
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
Verb
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Pittsburgh is preparing for a significant winter storm that's expected to dump inches of snow across the area this weekend.—
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
23 Jan. 2026 -
Primaloft Black Eco insulation kept me toasty on 15-degree lift rides at Bolton Valley Ski Resort, while extra-long flank zips are great for dumping heat on the way down.—
Benjamin Tepler,
Outside,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The bronze doors and concrete walls with remarkably few windows looked ancient, and the building more closely resembled a student dormitory awaiting demolition than an institution where precious cultural assets from around the world were collected and stored.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
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For decades, this half-square-mile town wedged between Costco and Highway 1 has been hiding in plain sight — a warehouse district turned open-air art gallery, where murals climb concrete walls and sculptors work in spaces that once stored industrial equipment.—
Audrey T. Williams,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The fawner depends on others to prop up her self-image; the unfawner knows when to discard them entirely.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
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Certain dents and signs are clear red flags, signaling you should immediately discard the can to avoid the risk of foodborne illness.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Prosecutors said Morgan lay in wait in his Jeep at the corner of Wortman and Alabama Aves.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
23 Jan. 2026
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Another affinity between the Romanians and the Iraqis lay in the fact that both knew the difficulties of living under a dictatorship.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Margot Robbie has ditched the hot pink Barbie Land in favor of the windswept moors of Wuthering Heights, and her hair has too!—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
27 Jan. 2026
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No one questions when men do what Jaime did, ditching their families (in this case, MVP Megan Mullaly as her well-mannered mom, Layanne, and Jeff Perry as her more oblivious dad) to go off and make a career for themselves.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Best to keep backups of all of that data stashed, cached, and out of harm’s way—and space makes an ideal safe deposit box.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
7 Jan. 2026
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Various zippered pockets inside the front flap are great for stashing smaller essentials, and a front pocket can fit a 13-inch laptop.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In a key demonstration, the humanoid autonomously unloaded and reloaded a dishwasher across an entire kitchen without resets or human input.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Jan. 2026
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But the billionaire class does not seem to be deterred by slightly off-piste locations in the era of private jets and motor courts — 80 Clarkson has one, of course, with intricate metalwork, so drivers needn’t unload on the street, and there’s also a waiting room for them.—
Kim Velsey,
Curbed,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The only time the Fitzgerald made it to its homeport of Milwaukee was when the ship was laid up during the 1959 steel strike, from June to October.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
4 Nov. 2025
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Female moths can lay up to 500 eggs at a time.7 Pantry moths are most destructive in their larval stage, so discouraging this stage will help prevent the infestation from spreading.—
Lauren Wicks,
Southern Living,
28 Oct. 2025
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Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20by. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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