laying down

verb

present participle of lay down
1
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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2
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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3
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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4
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
  1. enacting
  2. declaring
  3. specifying
  4. relinquishing
  5. passing
  6. asserting
  7. defining
  8. rendering
Verb
  • In our moment of reckoning, most of the current momentum is going toward enacting social media bans for kids younger than 16.
    — Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Let them — especially the new governor, presumably Xavier Becerra — consider enacting new CEQA reforms, holding months of public hearings and ultimately compromising on a deal.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of enacting
Verb
  • If Taipei refrains from crossing the ultimate red line of declaring formal independence, Beijing appears confident in its long-term strategy of integration.
    — Ningrong Liu, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Citizenship revoked retroactively The October judgment goes beyond simply declaring that Acosta Torres is no longer an American citizen.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of declaring
Verb
  • The Nigerian government has pledged funding for the response, Kaseya said, without specifying an amount.
    — Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The company also says technological improvements across the 737 MAX program reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by 20%, without specifying the comparison baseline in the announcement.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of specifying
Verb
  • But the pro-Israel lobby is not relinquishing its political power, evidenced by its move to give more than $9 million to support Mike Rogers in Michigan Senate race.
    — Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2026
  • With all the characters in the show, there’s an exploration of losing control, taking control and relinquishing control, and Chris experiences all of those.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of relinquishing
Verb
  • Walker enters this game with 106 carries and 21 passing targets (14 receptions) in just five games.
    — Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026
  • These showers won’t make their way to Sacramento, but a few passing clouds over the region are expected late morning and early afternoon as the decaying pulse of earlier rain passes.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of passing
Verb
  • But experts believe Kim's sister has been asserting her authority recently, too, and appearances like this week's are part of that effort.
    — Anna Coren, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Reyes denied the government’s motion to recuse, asserting the facts contradict the administration’s criticism.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of asserting
Verb
  • To colleagues, Tafoya’s defining characteristic was preparation.
    — Rick Maese, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The red sweaters from his debut became a street-style signature, while his cummerbund has emerged as a defining accessory.
    — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of defining
Verb
  • Halo 4, 5, and Infinite used sci-fi nonsense to transform him into this larger-than-life figure, rendering the rest of the UNSC largely powerless in the process.
    — Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Earlier this year, Alta began powering all AI within Rent the Runway’s app—and Rent the Runway saw a 35% increase in engagement after integrating Alta’s styling and rendering capabilities.
    — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 22 Oct. 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.

Browse Nearby Words

laying by
laying down
laying eyes on
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Cite this Entry

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

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