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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Measles is highly contagious and can spread through the air when an infected person breathes, talks, coughs or sneezes.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026 -
Misinformation and conspiracy theories about the public health system also spread during the pandemic, and longtime anti-vaccine activist groups saw a swell in interest from the wider public.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Russian sources indicate that Sarma can employ a range of existing and future 300 mm munitions, including high-explosive and guided rockets.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
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In the past, New Delhi had opposed tariffs on sectors such as agriculture and dairy, which employ the bulk of the country's population.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Eight of these units were connected to each other and a linear actuator was installed at one end of the line to apply the force needed to activate the elastocaloric effect.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
5 Feb. 2026
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Regardless of the type, apply the fertilizer in late winter to prepare your tree for the upcoming growing season.—
Emily Hayes,
Martha Stewart,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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David Plotz, the CEO of City Cast, told Semafor in a phone call that the local podcast network was expanding its coverage of Washington as a direct result of the Post’s pullback, and would be immediately hiring four multi-platform journalists.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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One Florida resident reportedly hired a local mover without bothering to determine if the company was licensed, only to run into a boatload of trouble.—
Lew Sichelman,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Nevertheless, laid low by cancer and the claim battle, Karen Powers continued on in the job that had provided her with a lifelong sense of meaning and purpose.—
J.C. Hallman,
Oklahoman,
10 Feb. 2026
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In 2025, Zuckerberg and Chan laid the groundwork to recalibrate their philanthropic organization toward AI-powered biomedical research, with a particular focus on their flagship Biohub network.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The band’s follow-up, 2002’s Away from the Sun, found Arnold shifting strictly to vocalist, with drummer Josh Freese recruited for that multiplatinum LP.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
7 Feb. 2026
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Stanford recruited Jones aggressively to stay for a fifth year when other programs tried to lure him into the transfer portal after his senior season.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As a result, calls for action have been met with suspicion, with some online commentators accusing feminists of making up MaskPark as a way to smear Chinese men.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
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His nose is smeared with a white strip of sun cream.—
Molly Aitken,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
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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 10 Feb. 2026.
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