1
as in to discard
to get rid of as useless or unwanted
a politician who had laid by his principles years ago
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Verb
-
Spanning over three decades, Syed’s work features discarded, everyday materials that are then woven into striking pieces.—
Sonya Rehman,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025 -
The bill also discards the education requirement so the governor could appoint a Secretary of Education with no education experience.—
Carole Carlson,
Chicago Tribune,
30 June 2025
Verb
-
More than 3 million bottles are stored in the cave cellars, with another 20 million stored at the estate outside Épernay and 8 million at another satellite site.—
Rachel King,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
-
Best of all, these chairs are stackable, so they can easily be stored in a shed, garage, or basement once the party is over without taking up too much space.—
Lauren Fischer,
People.com,
28 June 2025
Verb
-
Replace status dumps with two-way updates and invite feedback and surface risks early.—
Dr. Cynthia J. Young,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
-
The development team framed the deal as a way for the city to create more low-income housing, dump the financial burden of the unoccupied property and secure a money-making property at the end of the lease.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 June 2025
Verb
-
No Ju-han—Netflix The groundwork for these final six episodes was laid in a Season 2 finale that ended just as the plot started moving.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
27 June 2025
-
The 15-year-old shelter dog laying in his kennel at the Carson Animal Shelter.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
So do yourself a favor and ditch the heavy layers this summer.—
Chaunie Brusie,
Parents,
7 July 2025
-
Saks then lined up $350 million in new financing in May only to ditch that in favor of $600 million in financing last month from a group of bondholders jockeying for a better position in the capital structure.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
7 July 2025
Verb
-
There’s even an opening in the back for cord management, making this an ideal place to stash your home’s unsightly Wi-Fi equipment.—
Clint Davis,
People.com,
3 July 2025
-
Each piece, from pipes to bubblers to stash jars, is handmade in Chile.—
Javier Hasse,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Verb
-
Vulnerability The goal of storytelling and advocacy is not to unload, but to provide a window into their experience.—
Julie Kratz,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2025
-
More infrastructure added and wanted Message boards placed on the side of 109 with warnings and reminders like radar being enforced and the legal requirement to stop for a school bus loading and unloading students have been present on different portions of 109 since the fall.—
Andy Humbles,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Verb
-
Considering a mature colony can include up to 400,000 worker ants, a queen can lay up to 1,000 eggs a day, and that there can be several colonies per acre of land, fire ants can sometimes seem like the perfect pest.—
Gareth McGrath,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
-
Females can lay up to 100 eggs during a lifetime, which hatch in three to six weeks.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
27 June 2025
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.
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20by. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share