LAYING DOWN Synonyms: 143 Similar and Opposite Words

laying down

verb

present participle of lay down

as in enacting

to put into effect through legislative or authoritative action the city council promises to lay down new ordinances that will force dog walkers to clean up after their animals

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as in declaring

to state clearly and strongly at the risk of their popularity, the parents laid down the rules for the party and wouldn't accept any arguments

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as in specifying

to give the rules about (something) clearly and exactly the supervisor laid down the procedure for a complaint of sexual harassment

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as in relinquishing

to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress commanded the surrounded troops to lay down their weapons

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for laying down

Verb

With some destinations enacting limits on cruises, including restrictions on the size of ships or number of guests that can visit, small ships – which can have as few as a couple hundred passengers – may be able to go where bigger vessels can’t.

— Nathan Diller, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026
Last year, the state acted boldly by enacting Senate Bill 72, a law that establishes a statewide target of nine million acre-feet of additional water supply by 2040.

— Valerie Pryor, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of enacting

Verb

The person did not elaborate on the reasons for declaring the two men ineligible.

— Doug Feinberg, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Under current law, the President has the flexibility to order a limited drawdown, releasing up to 30 million barrels over a 60-day period, to mitigate sudden supply shocks without declaring a full-scale national emergency.

— Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of declaring

Verb

Trump’s top trade negotiator, Jamieson Greer, pledged additional measures to respond to Canada’s retaliation, without immediately specifying what that would look like.

— Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
The resulting analysis showed that sellers were very much aware of any legal issues associated with the sale and shipment of mummified human remains, often specifying geographical locations where laws forbid such transfers.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of specifying

Verb

But that would have meant Parton relinquishing half the publishing rights and therefore half the royalties.

— Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
America is the ultimate answer to the pogrom, and to the emancipation Europe offered on the condition of relinquishing Jewish ethnic and cultural distinctiveness.

— Rory Lancman, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of relinquishing

Verb

Picture Angel Reese grabbing a rebound and passing to Caitlin Clark, who then fires down the floor to Paige Bueckers, who drives to the goal and fools the help defender with a dish to the best player on the planet.

— Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
At their best, the offense was a sheer powerhouse—Dak Prescott threw for 4,552 yards and 30 touchdowns, ranking among the league's top passing leaders while feeding a dominant receiving corps.

— David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of passing

Verb

Some lawmakers expressed disapproval of the move, asserting that these products often fall into the hands of minors.

— Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 19 Aug. 2026
The platform has already sued New York, Massachusetts, Washington, New Mexico and Wisconsin, asserting that states cannot apply their gambling laws to the platform's sports event contracts.

— Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of asserting

Verb

The plight of immigrants is one of the defining moral issues of our time, and more and more big name musicians are following the trail Parton blazed so long ago.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
By defining other civilizations as alien cultures, a civilizationist grand strategy might fuel antagonism rather than tolerate differences.

— Leonard A. Schuette, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of defining

Verb

Russia is slowly edging towards its territorial goal of taking the Donbas – albeit through rendering the remaining ground held by Ukraine uninhabitable through horrific drone strikes on all signs of civilian and military life.

— Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
The hospital’s only refrigerator capable of storing blood donations was also damaged by a power surge following the quake, rendering transfusions impossible.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of rendering

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.

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laying by

laying down

laying eyes on

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“Laying down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laying%20down. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of laying down

verb

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