1
as in to spread
to put a layer of on a surface
she lays the butter on so thickly that you hardly taste the bagel
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to employ
chiefly British
to provide with a paying job
lay on more staff for the busy tourist season in the Lake District
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay on
Verb
-
Hantavirus is suspected of spreading aboard a luxury cruise ship, killing three passengers and sparking new concerns as a once obscure disease, with an extraordinarily high death rate, rises amid changing climate conditions.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 May 2026 -
In rare cases, hantavirus infections can be spread between people, WHO said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
The union representing workers employed by the Writers Guild of America have reached an agreement on their first contract, ending a strike that lasted nearly three months.—
Boston Herald Wire Services,
Boston Herald,
9 May 2026
-
Located at 11300 Hudson Road, the building spans 143,000 square feet and employs more than 300 people while supporting another 300 delivery drivers.—
Talia McWright,
Twin Cities,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
The ruling only applies to two companies and Washington state, but the decision could prompt more legal challenges.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
This article was generated by the CA Earthquake Bot, software that analyzes structured information, such as data, and applies it to articles based on templates created by journalists in the newsroom.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Last summer's One Big Beautiful Bill Act gave DHS more than $170 billion to conduct immigration enforcement through 2029, including hiring tens of thousands of new ICE officers and CBP agents.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
-
Reluctantly hired to fill in for her is Cameron (Lewis Pullman), a scruffy drifter newly blown into town with some unfinished family business to attend to.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Can college really be laid so bare and survive?—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
5 May 2026
-
The Yankees also honored Sterling, their play-by-play man from 1989-2024, with a pregame ceremony that included a video, a moment of silence, and bouquets of flowers, which were laid at home plate by former booth partners Suzyn Waldman and Michael Kay.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
5 May 2026
Verb
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Mack was also charged with recruiting young college students (particularly women) and attempting to persuade other celebrities (such as Beverley Mitchell, Emma Watson and Kelly Clarkson) to join Nxivm.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
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After the unremarkable Chip Kelly recruiting era, which begat a slight bump under DeShaun Foster, what first-year coach Bob Chesney has done, before coaching a game, has been downright remarkable.—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Farran asked, gazing at their graves — cardboard signs smeared with handwritten Arabic because the war has made a proper burial in their village impossible.—
Isabel Debre,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Your goal is to remove messes, not smear them.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
29 Apr. 2026
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Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20on. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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