1
as in to enact
to put into effect through legislative or authoritative action
the city council promises to lay down new ordinances that will force dog walkers to clean up after their animals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to declare
to state clearly and strongly
at the risk of their popularity, the parents laid down the rules for the party and wouldn't accept any arguments
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to specify
to give the rules about (something) clearly and exactly
the supervisor laid down the procedure for a complaint of sexual harassment
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to relinquish
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress
commanded the surrounded troops to lay down their weapons
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of lay down
Drink now or lay down for a few years.
—
Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 2 Jan. 2026
Second Movement Next, place the roller behind you and lay down over it; this time with the roller perpendicular to your spine.
—Jennifer Shanker, Flow Space, 18 Dec. 2025
Then my sister lay down next to me.
—NPR, 26 Nov. 2025
Millions of Russian men, unwilling to take on lower-status work, lay down on the couch and took to drink.
—Julia Ioffe, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay down
Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 2 Jan. 2026
Second Movement Next, place the roller behind you and lay down over it; this time with the roller perpendicular to your spine.
—Jennifer Shanker, Flow Space, 18 Dec. 2025
Then my sister lay down next to me.
—NPR, 26 Nov. 2025
Millions of Russian men, unwilling to take on lower-status work, lay down on the couch and took to drink.
—Julia Ioffe, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay down
Verb
-
No pattern enacted on these buttons will safely land a four-hundred-ton jetliner, flaring and bouncing and settling heavily onto its twenty-two wheels while the spoilers on the wings snap up and the jets scream in reverse and the passengers sigh in relief.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
-
If the White House proposal is enacted as is, OSIRIS-APEX would be among more than 50 missions canceled.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
With very few exceptions, an end was declared, not only to empires, but also to city-states, duchies, principalities, emirates, sultanates, caliphates, khanates, agencies, princely states, colonies, suzerains, dependencies, mandates, tributaries, condominia and protectorates.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
The World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern over an outbreak of a rare Ebola virus in central Africa.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Wahl did not specify the threats connected to the teens.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2026
-
The cake labels did not specify the style of frosting.—
Eva Flowe
May 18,
Charlotte Observer,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
There are outs not to be relinquished on the bases.—
Gabriel Burns,
AJC.com,
15 May 2026
-
Companies that violate the law could be forced to relinquish their earnings to a federal youth sports fund, from which the money would be used to reduce participation costs for families, provide scholarships and keep local sporting venues free for community use.—
Kenny Jacoby,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The decision also follows a standoff between the Democratic governor and the Virginia General Assembly over extensive revisions Spanberger sought to make to the legislation passed during the 2026 session.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
19 May 2026
-
Candidates who made it to the final rounds in the hiring process but ultimately weren't selected have already passed your initial screening and demonstrated genuine interest in the company or role.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Still, Clarke’s love of literature and affinity for great prose can assert themselves now and then.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
-
Yeah, add that to the long list of unsupported claims about these vaccines that have ranged from various anti-vaxxers asserting that the vaccines will turn you into a gigantic magnet to attributing seemingly every celebrity illness and death during the COVID-19 pandemic to the COVID-19 vaccines.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
The best bits of Body of Work are defined by the ideas that don’t center Skeletrix in the frame, the half-thoughts and thorny passages that breeze past if you aren’t locked in.—
Olivier Lafontant,
Pitchfork,
15 May 2026
-
While World Cup organizers are heavily promoting certain songs, Herrera says many others will be vying to define the tournament this year.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The beautiful array of their divergent sizes and pelts coalesced as oils on canvas and rendered their exploits almost dreamlike.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
Nvidia’s GPUs, first developed in 1999 for rendering graphics on computers and gaming consoles, function by breaking complex computing problems into smaller tasks and resolving them simultaneously.—
Matthew Chin,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20down. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
