as in to store
to put (something of future use or value) in a safe or secret place
be sure to lay in enough food for the long Alaska winter
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Recent Examples of lay in
Their interest lay in the contemporary pop culture of their time, consisting largely of rock ‘n’ roll and beach movies starring Annette Fuicello and Frankie Avalon.
—
Raj Tawney, IndieWire, 12 May 2026
Roseberry’s work privileges spectacle—volume, gold, anatomical exaggeration—where Schiaparelli’s shock lay in wit and displacement.
—Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
His response lay in his roots, growing up learning about his mother’s family and seeing his father work daily on four hours of sleep a night.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 8 May 2026
On April 24, Mateus's family buried her body at a cemetery in Teixeira de Freitas, Brazil, after her body lay in state, g1 reported.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lay in
Raj Tawney, IndieWire, 12 May 2026
Roseberry’s work privileges spectacle—volume, gold, anatomical exaggeration—where Schiaparelli’s shock lay in wit and displacement.
—Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
His response lay in his roots, growing up learning about his mother’s family and seeing his father work daily on four hours of sleep a night.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 8 May 2026
On April 24, Mateus's family buried her body at a cemetery in Teixeira de Freitas, Brazil, after her body lay in state, g1 reported.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lay in
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay in
Verb
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Multiple items of evidence were also stored incorrectly—including Tate’s phone, which was left lying around the station while the case stalled.—
Heidi Blake,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
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By storing more energy within the same weight, future semi-solid-state batteries could help increase vehicle range without requiring larger battery packs.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
8 June 2026
Verb
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The separate bottom-zipper section is an absolute lifesaver if you — like me — are accustomed to bringing along multiple pairs of shoes or want a place to stash wet swimwear or heavy toiletries.—
Tanya Sharma,
PEOPLE,
14 June 2026
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This wooden nightstand has just enough drawer space for stashing nightly reads, melatonin, and your favorite sleep mask.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
12 June 2026
Verb
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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,
13 May 2026
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The neo-bluegrass musician took to social media Monday to post photos of himself laid up in a hospital bed, along with multiple X-rays of the nuts and bolts now holding his leg together.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20in. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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