1
as in to spread
to put a layer of on a surface
she lays the butter on so thickly that you hardly taste the bagel
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to employ
chiefly British
to provide with a paying job
lay on more staff for the busy tourist season in the Lake District
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay on
Verb
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Almost immediately after oversight of TikTok’s US operations changed, misinformation started to spread about changes to the app’s new terms of service, including those that applied to location sharing and data collection, Fiesler said.—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026 -
Families who never qualified say their costs are rising, too, as insurers spread the increases across the entire market.—
Mahsa Saeidi,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The department did not respond to questions about the eight deputies are still employed.—
Christopher Damien,
USA Today,
1 Feb. 2026
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Viewers are not expected to notice changes on NFL Network until April, when those employed by NFL Media become part of ESPN.—
Joe Reedy,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Eight of these units were connected to each other and a linear actuator was installed at one end of the line to apply the force needed to activate the elastocaloric effect.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
5 Feb. 2026
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Regardless of the type, apply the fertilizer in late winter to prepare your tree for the upcoming growing season.—
Emily Hayes,
Martha Stewart,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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David Plotz, the CEO of City Cast, told Semafor in a phone call that the local podcast network was expanding its coverage of Washington as a direct result of the Post’s pullback, and would be immediately hiring four multi-platform journalists.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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One Florida resident reportedly hired a local mover without bothering to determine if the company was licensed, only to run into a boatload of trouble.—
Lew Sichelman,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Calvert-Lewin’s travails with Everton are laid bare in that final column.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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And that equivocation should lay bare Strider’s personal opinion about the latest high-profile instance of ICE enforcement.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Hits previously reported a rumor that Grammy producers were trying to recruit The Life of a Showgirl singer for a performance.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
1 Feb. 2026
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Mariela Nisotaki’s role in helping identify and recruit Emiliano Buendia to Norwich City — a player later sold to Villa for £38million ($52m) — saw her rise from first-team scout to head of emerging talent, after roles at Swansea City and in Greece.—
Adam Leventhal,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As a result, calls for action have been met with suspicion, with some online commentators accusing feminists of making up MaskPark as a way to smear Chinese men.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
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His nose is smeared with a white strip of sun cream.—
Molly Aitken,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
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Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20on. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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