as in to store
to put (something of future use or value) in a safe or secret place
an eating disorder that would impel her to lay up candy bars in her closet for all-night food binges
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Recent Examples of lay up
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, 28 Oct. 2025
Their ability to reproduce — a female can lay up to 2,500 eggs on a single animal — can worsen the situation.
—Addy Bink, The Hill, 21 Sep. 2025
Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers attempts a lay up against Miles McBride #2 and Mitchell Robinson #23 of the New York Knicks during the third quarter in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 27, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Adult female flies can lay up to 400 eggs at a time, and each larva in a human patient has to be physically dug out from infected flesh.
—Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay up
Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2025
Their ability to reproduce — a female can lay up to 2,500 eggs on a single animal — can worsen the situation.
—Addy Bink, The Hill, 21 Sep. 2025
Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers attempts a lay up against Miles McBride #2 and Mitchell Robinson #23 of the New York Knicks during the third quarter in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 27, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Adult female flies can lay up to 400 eggs at a time, and each larva in a human patient has to be physically dug out from infected flesh.
—Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay up
Verb
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Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told reporters the depots were used to fuel Iran's war effort, including producing or storing propellant for ballistic missiles.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
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Although the data remains locally stored on each device, all participants in the network can validate the records, which ensures that the information cannot be secretly modified or erased.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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The late reverend then lay in state at the South Carolina Capitol.—
Matt Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The hoard was most likely stashed away during the bloody Russian Revolution—an era made famous by the Disney movie about Princess Anastasia, the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
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But with several non-roster invitees in camp who have opt outs and also can’t be easily stashed in the minors, Watson’s Rule 5 status might only give him so much leeway.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20up. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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