1
as in to enact
to put into effect through legislative or authoritative action
the city council promises to lay down new ordinances that will force dog walkers to clean up after their animals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to declare
to state clearly and strongly
at the risk of their popularity, the parents laid down the rules for the party and wouldn't accept any arguments
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to specify
to give the rules about (something) clearly and exactly
the supervisor laid down the procedure for a complaint of sexual harassment
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to relinquish
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress
commanded the surrounded troops to lay down their weapons
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lay down
Then my sister lay down next to me.
—
NPR, 26 Nov. 2025
Millions of Russian men, unwilling to take on lower-status work, lay down on the couch and took to drink.
—Julia Ioffe, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
Second, disassociate from Hamas and other terrorist groups, including Iran, lay down all arms, and come to the table with a plan to live in harmony with Israel.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2025
Hamas fighters who lay down their arms will also be given amnesty and allowed to leave Gaza under the plan.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay down
NPR, 26 Nov. 2025
Millions of Russian men, unwilling to take on lower-status work, lay down on the couch and took to drink.
—Julia Ioffe, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
Second, disassociate from Hamas and other terrorist groups, including Iran, lay down all arms, and come to the table with a plan to live in harmony with Israel.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2025
Hamas fighters who lay down their arms will also be given amnesty and allowed to leave Gaza under the plan.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay down
Verb
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Inside, organizers enacted extreme heat protocols, forcing closure of the retractable roofs over the main arenas and postponement of matches on the uncovered outer courts.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Lawmakers were pushing a measure, similar to those enacted in Australia and Canada, that would have forced tech giants to pay online publishers for the ransacking, er, use, of their journalistic content.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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One of the victims, 18-year-old Kim Kha Huynh, was declared dead at the scene, while a second victim, 34-year-old Phuc Minh Vo of San Jose, died three days later in the hospital.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
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President Daniel Noboa launched an armed campaign against gangs and declared states of emergency in several provinces, including Manabi, deploying the military to support police operations.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Current clinical guidelines do not specify the optimal amount of time they should be taken for.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Unsweetened baking chocolate is not suited for all baking and should be used only when specified.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But as anyone knows who’s ever lost — or even voluntarily relinquished — a foundational piece of themselves, to understand loss is not the same as to accept it.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
23 Jan. 2026
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The president doubled down on his hostilities late Monday, criticizing Britain’s decision to relinquish control of the Chagos Islands, an Indian Ocean archipelago home to an Anglo-American military base.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In addition to where in the stadium tickets can purchased, Razorback Foundation donor levels and priority points also dictate how parking passes around the stadium are distributed and how many tickets are available for purchase in certain sections.—
Matt Jones,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
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Sullivan says the institutions requested the bill, which passed the Senate State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Committee 3-2, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Minnesota’s Democratic leaders are ultimately to blame for the shooting, these commentators have made sure to assert, but the administration’s talking points have been self-defeating.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
26 Jan. 2026
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According to attorney Deborah Stevenson, who representsNHELD, the Office of the Child Advocate refused to release the records, asserting confidentiality.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Freelancer's dogfighting represented a move away from the joystick revolution that had defined the space in the 90s, instead relying on a simplified flight model where the spacecraft followed the movement of the mouse.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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There’s other things behind it, but this is defining, right?—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The pill his team developed, YCT-529, works by blocking a vitamin-A-dependent protein essential for sperm growth, temporarily rendering men infertile without affecting their testosterone levels and thereby potentially introducing related side effects.—
Ana Castelain,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
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Supporters of the pardon power further assured their colleagues that impeachment would furnish a corrective to any overuse of pardoning, underestimating the extent to which the modern party system would render this nearly impossible.—
Bernadette Meyler,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20down. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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