as in to store
to put (something of future use or value) in a safe or secret place
an eating disorder that would impel her to lay up candy bars in her closet for all-night food binges
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 up
Now, researchers are discovering more in the Rio Grande Valley, where the crayfish are breeding rapidly, with each female capable of laying up to 5,000 eggs annually.
—
Brandi D. Addison, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Production came later, in 2014, when he was laid up in bed for three months with an illness.
—Elias Leight, Billboard, 13 June 2025
Both players once again laid up and were each lucky to even par the hole.
—Kendall Capps, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 June 2025
Female cicadas can lay up to 600 eggs, inserting them into the branches of trees and shrubs with their ovipositor (egg-laying organ), according to the University of Massachusetts.
—Mariyam Muhammad, Cincinnati Enquirer, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay up
Brandi D. Addison, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Production came later, in 2014, when he was laid up in bed for three months with an illness.
—Elias Leight, Billboard, 13 June 2025
Both players once again laid up and were each lucky to even par the hole.
—Kendall Capps, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 June 2025
Female cicadas can lay up to 600 eggs, inserting them into the branches of trees and shrubs with their ovipositor (egg-laying organ), according to the University of Massachusetts.
—Mariyam Muhammad, Cincinnati Enquirer, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay up
Verb
-
Single service handles not stored facing one direction to minimize hand contact with the business end or with the handle facing upright.—
Gege Reed,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Rachel's wedding dress is currently being cleaned, and then will be stored in hopes of future use.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
For Dickinson, the greater challenge lay in finding the right tone to strike around the film’s sensitive subject matter of homelessness and mental health.—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
2 Oct. 2025
-
According to scholar Nadia Margolis, the key to Christine’s success with her various projects lay in her acute awareness of existing in a men’s world with a dramatically unfair power imbalance.—
Emily Zarevich,
JSTOR Daily,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But as the months have passed, Juni has stopped stashing food, loves to nap, and seems so much more at ease.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Where else, the joke goes, would Colorado stash its pitching development lab?—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20up. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share