as in to store
to put (something of future use or value) in a safe or secret place
be sure to lay in enough food for the long Alaska winter
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Recent Examples of lay in
His solution lay in James Hanson, a striker who had been plucked from non-League — and, as City fans used to love singing, his day job as a shelf-stacker at the Co-op supermarket — by then-manager Stuart McCall six and a half years earlier.
—
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
Rose gobbled it up, lay in my arms and not long after was at rest.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 3 Mar. 2026
The second fragment of fabric (Tx2) lay in a large domestic house—also destroyed by fire—which contained six rooms lined with storage vessels and clay chests.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 22 Feb. 2026
Colleyville Heritage dumps Argyle in 2 OTs Colleyville Heritage got a hugh lay in by Sameer Johnson at the fourth quarter buzzer, off an assist by Dmauri Evans, to tie the game at 48 allowing the Panthers to subdue Argyle 57-51 in double overtime on Thursday.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lay in
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
Rose gobbled it up, lay in my arms and not long after was at rest.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 3 Mar. 2026
The second fragment of fabric (Tx2) lay in a large domestic house—also destroyed by fire—which contained six rooms lined with storage vessels and clay chests.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 22 Feb. 2026
Colleyville Heritage dumps Argyle in 2 OTs Colleyville Heritage got a hugh lay in by Sameer Johnson at the fourth quarter buzzer, off an assist by Dmauri Evans, to tie the game at 48 allowing the Panthers to subdue Argyle 57-51 in double overtime on Thursday.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lay in
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay in
Verb
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The footage from these intros becomes part of a vast digital database stored in the agency’s office.—
Taran Khan,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
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The fact that the barrels remain in an exceptional state of preservation speaks to the effectiveness of this 17th-century strategy to store lime long-term.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Afternoon and early-evening sessions, once thought safe, were infiltrated by those stashing weapons.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
19 Mar. 2026
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On pickup trucks, for instance, the spare tire is cryptically stashed and onerous to extract.—
Maddy Butcher,
Washington Post,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But thanks to their reproductive vigor — females can lay up to 25,000 eggs in a single season — their numbers quickly hopped out of hand.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
13 Mar. 2026
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Female wasps can lay up to 200 eggs a day as long as a host insect is available.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
9 Mar. 2026
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20in. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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