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
Texas Christian University Horned Frogs guard Olivia Miles (5) lays up a first half shot against the Houston Cougars during the first half at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, February 4, 2026.
—
Dallas Morning News, 5 Feb. 2026
She's unhappily laid up right now after a hit and run car accident near her Cranston home.
—Gail Ciampa, The Providence Journal, 21 Jan. 2026
Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers attempts a lay up against Miles McBride #2 and Mitchell Robinson #23 of the New York Knicks during the third quarter in Game Four of the Eastern Conference...
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
The Ryder Cup hopeful laid up, only to leave his approach shot in the water.
—Bennett Conlin, Baltimore Sun, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay up
Dallas Morning News, 5 Feb. 2026
She's unhappily laid up right now after a hit and run car accident near her Cranston home.
—Gail Ciampa, The Providence Journal, 21 Jan. 2026
Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers attempts a lay up against Miles McBride #2 and Mitchell Robinson #23 of the New York Knicks during the third quarter in Game Four of the Eastern Conference...
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
The Ryder Cup hopeful laid up, only to leave his approach shot in the water.
—Bennett Conlin, Baltimore Sun, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay up
Verb
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If your area experiences cold winters, bring them indoors in autumn, either emptied of their annuals, cleaned and stored, or still housing tropicals, evergreens or herbs, and treat them as houseplants over winter.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
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The enclosure is designed to store stormwater for up to a day and then to release it, slowly, once the pipes clear.—
Eric Klinenberg,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Years before the rise of Instagram, Banksy figured out that the key to real influence lay in not being famous, exactly, but in being anonymous.—
Laurie Kellman,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
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Years before the rise of Instagram, Banksy figured out that the key to real influence lay in not being famous, exactly, but in being anonymous.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Bowen left his uncle’s house around noon to find another place to stash his weapon, his friend’s apartment in Plantation, the affidavit said.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
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Over decades, London has become a safety-deposit box for the global, uber-rich to stash unexplained wealth, often in multi-million dollar homes that sit dark and empty most of the year.—
Frank Langfitt,
NPR,
4 Apr. 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 7 Apr. 2026.
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