Synonyms of layover

layover 1 of 2

noun

ˈlā-ˌō-vər 

as in stop

a brief halt in a journey

our flight from New York to San Francisco made a layover in Chicago

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stop
• stopover
• rest
• pause
• break

lay over

2 of 2

verb

as in to postpone

to assign to a later time

we'll have to lay over a discussion of the issue until the next meeting

Synonyms & Similar Words

• postpone
• delay
• put over
• defer
• put off
• hold over
• hold off (on)
• hold up
• remit
• wait
• shelve
• hesitate
• suspend
• stretch (out)
• stay
• pause
• slow
• retard
• prolong
• lengthen
• detain
• extend
• protract

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• work (on)
• do
• deal (with)
• act
• decide (upon)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of layover

Noun

This gives opportunity for gate welcomes and send-offs, or even meeting a friend for a meal during a layover. — Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Sep. 2026

Spanx has become a go-to for exactly that kind of clothing—soft, stretchy fabrics that hold up through security lines, layovers, and everything in between. — Sarah Scott, Southern Living, 30 Aug. 2026

Verb

Frozen beef was thawing outside the refrigerator and employees were using a cutting board laid over a trash can as a food preparation table. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2026

The bill was laid over in committee for potential inclusion in an omnibus bill. — Mary Murphy, Twin Cities, 26 Mar. 2026

Video

Lay vs. Lie

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to Ask the Editor. I'm Emily Brewster, an associate editor at Merriam-Webster.
 
Sometimes we tell you that certain grammar rules are little more than the Latin-inspired whims of long dead grammarians. But not so with the verbs lay and lie. This pair is a doozy that's been tripping up English speakers for 700 years.
 
Lay's most common meaning is, to place something or someone down in a flat position. Lie's corresponding meaning is, to be in a flat position on a surface.
 
Lay is transitive. It requires that the verb have an object. There has to be a thing or a person being placed.
- Lay it down.
 
Lie, on the other hand, is intransitive. It's for something or someone moving on their own. Or something or someone that's already in position.
- You can lie down there.
- You can lie there all day.
 
That's tricky enough, but it gets worse when we start using the words beyond the now.
 
Here's lay in context in tenses that show its principal forms.
- I was told to lay the book down.
- I laid it down as I have laid other books down.
- I am laying more books down now.
 
And here's lie.
- I was told to lie down.
- I lay down.
- I have lain here since.
- I'm still lying here.
 
Did you catch that?
 
For lay, we have lay, laid, have laid, laying.
For lie, we have lie, lay, have lain, lying.
 
And then there's the unrelated verb meaning to tell an untruth.
That lie goes, lie, lied, have lied, lying.
 
What fascinates me about all this is that the language has continued to carry a torch for the distinction for 700 years. Enough writers and editors get these right generation after generation, that there continues to be a right and a wrong. It's not because dead grammarians said so, but because people like you get it right, often enough anyway, that it's still how the land lays.
 
I mean lies.
 
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