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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lay in
Police now say that a former boyfriend, 47-year-old Juan Marquez of Hawthorne, lay in wait near her workplace, described on air as Families Together of Orange County.
—
Jeff Horseman,
Oc Register,
17 May 2026
Michael Dale lay in his Escondido home with a plastic bag wrapped around his head and sealed with duct tape for at least eight minutes as Michaela Rylaarsdam, vibrator in hand, kept the cameras rolling, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in San Diego Superior Court.
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Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Their interest lay in the contemporary pop culture of their time, consisting largely of rock ‘n’ roll and beach movies starring Annette Fuicello and Frankie Avalon.
—
Raj Tawney,
IndieWire,
12 May 2026
Roseberry’s work privileges spectacle—volume, gold, anatomical exaggeration—where Schiaparelli’s shock lay in wit and displacement.
—
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for lay in
Jeff Horseman,
Oc Register,
17 May 2026
Michael Dale lay in his Escondido home with a plastic bag wrapped around his head and sealed with duct tape for at least eight minutes as Michaela Rylaarsdam, vibrator in hand, kept the cameras rolling, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in San Diego Superior Court.
—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Their interest lay in the contemporary pop culture of their time, consisting largely of rock ‘n’ roll and beach movies starring Annette Fuicello and Frankie Avalon.
—
Raj Tawney,
IndieWire,
12 May 2026
Roseberry’s work privileges spectacle—volume, gold, anatomical exaggeration—where Schiaparelli’s shock lay in wit and displacement.
—
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for lay in
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay in
Verb
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In this case, the move is less risky since systems running consumer chips are less likely to store data that’s valuable enough to motivate a sophisticated physical attack.
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The kidneys and glands, such as the parathyroid glands, produce hormones such as parathyroid hormone and vitamin D that act as signals to tell bone when to release calcium and phosphate into the bloodstream and when to store them.
Verb
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When security turns them away at the gate, some fans are stashing their bags nearby — apparently planning to grab them later — and that’s creating a real headache for law enforcement, according to The Star.
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That said, there’s also an outer zipper pocket to stash earbuds or a small wallet.
Verb
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Females mate only once in their 10–30-day lifespan but can lay up to 3,000 eggs.
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According to Wilkins, a single female iguana can lay up to 70 eggs, contributing to rapid population growth.
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 26 Jun. 2026.
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