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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lay up
Walking up the eighteenth hole, Woad laid up into the par-5 finisher before sticking a 3/4 wedge to 2 feet to seal the tournament.
—
Mike Fore, Forbes.com, 27 July 2025
Female moths can lay up to 500 eggs at a time.7 Pantry moths are most destructive in their larval stage, so discouraging this stage will help prevent the infestation from spreading.
—Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 19 July 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for lay up
Mike Fore, Forbes.com, 27 July 2025
Female moths can lay up to 500 eggs at a time.7 Pantry moths are most destructive in their larval stage, so discouraging this stage will help prevent the infestation from spreading.
—Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 19 July 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for lay up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay up
Verb
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We, in collaboration with our partners, store and/or access information on a user's device, including but not limited to IP addresses, unique identifiers, and browsing data stored in cookies, in order to process personal data.—
Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
6 Nov. 2025
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All the information that Gemini is drawing upon will be culled from the roughly 250 million places stored in Google Maps’ database of reviews accumulated during the past 20 years.—
Michael Liedtke,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Everyone knew what future lay in store for the bottom 10 percent.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
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While 3-4 won’t get you there, the first steps clearly lay in the coming days.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Best to keep backups of all of that data stashed, cached, and out of harm’s way—and space makes an ideal safe deposit box.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
7 Jan. 2026
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Various zippered pockets inside the front flap are great for stashing smaller essentials, and a front pocket can fit a 13-inch laptop.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Jan. 2026
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 9 Jan. 2026.
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