lay by

verb

Definition of lay bynext
1
as in to dump
to get rid of as useless or unwanted a politician who had laid by his principles years ago

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to store
to put (something of future use or value) in a safe or secret place ever since the last hurricane caught them unprepared, they have laid by emergency supplies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay by
  1. dump
  2. store
  3. discard
  4. lay in
  5. ditch
  6. stash
  7. unload
  8. lay up
Verb
  • Thousands of gallons of crude oil were dumped into the river in May when a construction crew trying to lay fiber-optic cable hit a pipeline carrying the substance from Kern County to the Port of Los Angeles.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Homeowners tend to dump seed straight onto compacted, untilled soil and expect grass to appear.
    — Amanda Tust, Architectural Digest, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of dump
Verb
  • According to the medical examiner's office, the bodies were improperly stored at the funeral home and were in various states of decomposition at the time.
    — Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The Toyokawa Naval Arsenal was a key military site for the Japanese Imperial Army to store arms and munitions.
    — Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of store
Verb
  • Each of the 31 teams needed to be reoutfitted, along with every member of the athletic department staff, and the old stuff discarded.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Numerous foods were discarded and two coolers required repairs, according to the report.
    — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of discard
Verb
  • The walls of Jerusalem lay in ruins – broken down, exposed, and vulnerable.
    — Liesl Ehmke, Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2026
  • The victim lay in a pool of his own blood for more than two hours before being found by another deputy.
    — Seamus Bozeman Follow, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of lay in
Verb
  • High gas prices from the Iran-Israel War also may spur some drivers to ditch their cars for a while and save cash by avoiding the gas pump.
    — Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • In addition to clearing the deal, culture secretary Nandy has ditched plans to bring forward secondary legislation enabling Ofcom to examine how the Paramount-WBD deal would impact streaming services.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of ditch
Verb
  • Multiple internal and external compartments keep you ultra-organized; and there’s a dedicated laptop pocket for stashing your computer.
    — Rosie Jarman, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2026
  • They can be prepared quickly or dehydrated and stashed in the pantry.
    — Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of stash
Verb
  • Riley worked a full count and then unloaded on a 3-2 splitter that caught too much of the plate.
    — Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Unfortunately, the signs of this happening appeared near as Kolb failed to unload Laney-Hamilton’s $400,000 salary for an impactful piece at last week’s trade deadline.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of unload
Verb
  • Mayflies lay up to 10,000 eggs in the water, and their nymphs can't survive in water that is polluted.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 29 June 2026
  • Female wasps can lay up to 200 eggs a day as long as a host insect is available.
    — Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 19 June 2026
Definition of lay up
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.

Browse Nearby Words

lay back
lay by
lay down
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Cite this Entry

“Lay by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20by. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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