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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 lay in
Roseberry’s work privileges spectacle—volume, gold, anatomical exaggeration—where Schiaparelli’s shock lay in wit and displacement.
—
Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
His response lay in his roots, growing up learning about his mother’s family and seeing his father work daily on four hours of sleep a night.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 8 May 2026
One big unknown, following the death of the penny, lay in how retailers might handle the math of rounding off cash transactions.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026
Years before the rise of Instagram, Banksy figured out that the key to real influence lay in not being famous, exactly, but in being anonymous.
—ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lay in
Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
His response lay in his roots, growing up learning about his mother’s family and seeing his father work daily on four hours of sleep a night.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 8 May 2026
One big unknown, following the death of the penny, lay in how retailers might handle the math of rounding off cash transactions.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026
Years before the rise of Instagram, Banksy figured out that the key to real influence lay in not being famous, exactly, but in being anonymous.
—ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lay in
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay in
Verb
-
Engineers had to come up with their own substitutes for some of the basic tools that other developers use to store code, launch websites, and set up servers.—
Bozorgmehr Sharafedin,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
-
Then the samples sat in an incubator for over 1,000 days, as the researchers focused on their other experiments into how microbes process and store carbon in soil.—
Siddhant Pusdekar,
Quanta Magazine,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
The former officer was accused of secretly stashing millions of dollars in gold bars in his home, according to court documents and two people familiar with his employment history.—
Jeremy Mikula,
NBC news,
30 May 2026
-
The three‑zipper layout keeps clothing, tech, and toiletries neatly separated, while interior pockets stash small essentials.—
Paris Wilson,
Travel + Leisure,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
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,
13 May 2026
-
The neo-bluegrass musician took to social media Monday to post photos of himself laid up in a hospital bed, along with multiple X-rays of the nuts and bolts now holding his leg together.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
20 Apr. 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 6 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
