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lay by

verb

Definition of lay bynext
1
as in to dump
to get rid of as useless or unwanted a politician who had laid by his principles years ago

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to store
to put (something of future use or value) in a safe or secret place ever since the last hurricane caught them unprepared, they have laid by emergency supplies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay by
  1. dump
  2. store
  3. discard
  4. lay in
  5. ditch
  6. stash
  7. unload
  8. lay up
Verb
  • Rains could dump more than 2 feet across islands still recovering from a string of storms.
    — MEGAN JANETSKY, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Earlier Tuesday afternoon, the weather service said thunderstorms were already dumping heavy rain across the region, with more rain on the horizon.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of dump
Verb
  • Research suggests that low ferritin, a protein that stores iron inside your cells, is associated with different forms of hair loss, including telogen effluvium, in women.
    — Lindsey Bever, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2026
  • By the time Simon helped with the redecoration, her dad had settled into another chapter of life, selling arcade games and raising his family, and leaving the traces of his former career stored in a large collection of Kodachrome slides.
    — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of store
Verb
  • A number of items were voluntarily discarded due to contamination, including cling film, ovenable pan liners and baking cups.
    — Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Keep what users genuinely value, discard what solves an imaginary problem and rebuild only what deserves another experiment.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of discard
Verb
  • Three roach corpses lay in the kitchen at the dishwashing area.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The aroma filled my nostrils, fighting the overpowering perfume of the flowers that lay in a vivid blanket of color around the gaping grave.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of lay in
Verb
  • Restaurateurs, especially small or family-run businesses, are ditching graphic designers and food photographers in favor of much cheaper AI agents.
    — Daniel Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Costco ditches its Kirkland beer Pope Leo XIV, who grew up listening to popular American television preacher Archbishop Fulton Sheen, praised his fellow Illinois clergyman as an inspiration today on the eve of Sheen’s beatification.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of ditch
Verb
  • Who’s offering him Cool Ranch Doritos from the bag stashed inside his Speedo.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The behaviors run the full range, from tiny tweaks like stashing the phone across the room, killing pointless notifications and blocking off screen-free stretches, all the way to full-day commitments to unplug.
    — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of stash
Verb
  • About a year after buying a majority interest in the Lakers for $10 billion, Walter agreed to unload the franchise to former Disney CEO Bob Iger and Thrive Capital founder Joshua Kushner.
    — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • This tricky false flat unloads the suspension before a hard dive into Turn 2’s double apex lefthander, where the Bimota’s active-aero winglets require serious commitment to truly appreciate.
    — Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of unload
Verb
  • Mayflies lay up to 10,000 eggs in the water, and their nymphs can't survive in water that is polluted.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 29 June 2026
  • Female wasps can lay up to 200 eggs a day as long as a host insect is available.
    — Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 19 June 2026
Definition of lay up
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.

Browse Nearby Words

lay back
lay by
lay down
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lay by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20by. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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