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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During a pre-launch hot-fire test, an anomaly in a single engine triggered a catastrophic fire that spread throughout the first stage.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026 -
The Board accused him of spreading misinformation about COVID-19, but moved to return his certification a few months later.—
Romy Ellenbogen,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Even high productivity numbers may not be enough to pay the government’s debts, and there will be many people unhappily and under-employed.—
Allison Schrager,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
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Our member companies employ roughly 800,000 people across the city.—
Steven Fulop,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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According to a Treasury Department license document, the authorization applies until April 11 and applies to Russian oil that was loaded onto vessels before March 12.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
13 Mar. 2026
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The timing is critical because fertilizers are applied early in the crop cycle and help determine yields later in the year.—
Nur Hikmah Md Ali,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Are agents successfully hiring human beings?—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
13 Mar. 2026
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Lucid laid off more people this year after laying off around 6,800 people in 2024 and hiring actor Timotheé Chalamet as a brand ambassador.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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While that same sun will always rise in the East and set in the West, the work of these artists affirms that each new day is ours to make anew — no matter what sorrows may lay behind us.—
Grant Klarich Johnson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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After the Gators hit some free throws to extend their first-half lead to 26-19, Vitale started to lay into the Wildcats.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Even Self noted in his postgame radio interview that Saturday was the version of Peterson that KU recruited.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
8 Mar. 2026
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While working as a shopgirl, the young Evelyn is recruited as a studio model and soon catches the eye of the preeminent artists of the age.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Micron has come a long way since its humble founding nearly half a century ago in the basement of a Boise dental office, where sedative gas wafted through the floorboards and an early executive used a hair dryer to keep the company’s logo from smearing off its chips.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
11 Mar. 2026
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There’s a very good reason why audiences emerged from that movie ready to smear lipstick all over their faces for Halloween and then march in costume down to the Dolby Theater to demand an Oscar nomination.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 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 13 Mar. 2026.
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