1
as in to put
to arrange something in a certain spot or position
just lay the book over there on the table for now
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in to impose
to establish or apply as a charge or penalty
state officials tried to lay a tax on merchandise sold over the Internet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to prepare
to make ready in advance
she's laying plans for the charity auction months ahead of time
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in to spread
to put a layer of on a surface
the mason laid mortar over the first row of bricks before starting the second
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
7
as in to ascribe
to explain (something) as being the result of something else
an electrical fire that was laid to faulty wiring
Synonyms & Similar Words
8
as in to bury
to place (a dead body) in the earth, a tomb, or the sea
lay the corpse to rest
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in ballad
a short musical composition for the human voice often with instrumental accompaniment
she sang a short lay in dedication to her husband
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in work
the activity by which one regularly makes a living
my main lay is as a general contractor, but I do side work as a carpenter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in laic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of lay
Philip Pullella, Crispian Balmer, Alvise Armellini, Joshua McElwee and Chris Scicluna, USA Today, 21 Apr. 2025
The lay community provides for monks and temples, in exchange for the spiritual currency of merit, which is believed to turn into good karma.
—Brooke Schedneck, The Conversation, 27 Mar. 2025
Professional societies, meetings, the lay press and websites are all valuable sources of information.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025
Being in the highest tertile (one third for the lay person) of cardio health, Bhatt said, will add close to a decade to your life.
—John Werner, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay
Adjective
Tagle, who was also removed from his role, had been nominally president but was not involved in the day-to-day operations, which were overseen by a lay director-general.
—Philip Pullella, Crispian Balmer, Alvise Armellini, Joshua McElwee and Chris Scicluna, USA Today, 21 Apr. 2025
The lay community provides for monks and temples, in exchange for the spiritual currency of merit, which is believed to turn into good karma.
—Brooke Schedneck, The Conversation, 27 Mar. 2025
Professional societies, meetings, the lay press and websites are all valuable sources of information.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025
Being in the highest tertile (one third for the lay person) of cardio health, Bhatt said, will add close to a decade to your life.
—John Werner, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay
Verb
-
Trump was given 10 days to put the injunction into effect, per the order accompanying the ruling.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
30 May 2025
-
However, China is doubling down on its efforts to bolster advanced manufacturing, which could put both countries on a collision course.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
They were welcomed into the world at 29 weeks and spent some time in NICU before settling into their home with their two brothers, who are now two and four years old.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
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Instead, the zoning dispute will be settled in court.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
28 May 2025
Verb
-
Both armies have a small industry devoted to ‘hacking’ the drones, modifying the firmware to get around limitations imposed by the makers and prevent them from being tracked.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
-
In that case, West Virginia challenged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s authority to impose regulations to effectively control the state's energy policy through the Clean Power Plan.—
Zoltan Istvan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
Verb
-
Season 2 Ellie has, at the very least, been doing combat training and has had five years to prepare for an inevitable hunt like this.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
-
So each block has a director, and one block prepares and starts to shoot, then halfway [through] the other is prepping, and then starts to shoot.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
After rumors spread recently that Coinbase and Ripple were vying to acquire Circle, the largest stablecoin company in the United States just squashed speculation by announcing their IPO will go live next week on June 4.—
Cleve Mesidor,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
-
But some storefronts have shuttered as fear has spread, said Marie Jean-Francois, 45, one business owner there.—
Mark Bonamo,
New York Times,
1 June 2025
Verb
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The player bet $250, hit spin and watched as the symbols flashed across the screen. $1M winner in 4 photos.—
Helena Wegner,
Sacbee.com,
4 June 2025
-
With a robust slate, strategic partnerships, and international ambitions, the production house is betting big on content that travels — whether vertically on mobile screens or globally across borders.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
4 June 2025
Verb
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Such takes ascribe an idiot savant quality to his governance style, furthered by what appears to be the presence of the Dunning-Kruger effect, in which confidence is conflated with competence.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Many persons believed the shock was due to an explosion, but investigation developed that no explosion had occurred and the tremors were finally ascribed to an earthquake.—
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,
arkansasonline.com,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The authority said its preliminary assessment is that three excavators and six trucks were buried by the landslide.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
-
The Sutton Hoo site dates to the seventh century, so it was likely made about 100 years before it was buried there.—
Lillian Ali,
Smithsonian Magazine,
29 May 2025
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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