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

But starting the debate over solvency by agreeing to borrow massive amounts of money before enacting structural reform is exactly the wrong idea.

— Howard Gleckman, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
DeChambeau became increasingly animated as the conversation continued, repeatedly re-enacting his swing.

— Brody Miller, New York Times, 17 July 2026

Definition of enacting

Verb

Josh Webb, senior national account manager at Dal-Tile says many custom home builders are transitioning their thinking from price per square foot to value per square foot and specifying Dal-Tile for its sustainability features.

— Jennifer Castenson, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Customs officials referred the case after the discovery of allegedly seditious books in a batch of goods shipped to Hong Kong from overseas, police said, without specifying titles.

— Kanis Leung, Fortune, 16 July 2026

Definition of specifying

Verb

Clearly, the Flyers are comfortable with relinquishing first-round picks in their next four drafts as there is more value in having a true 1C in Carlsson.

— Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 8 July 2026
But for Iran, reopening the strait does not mean relinquishing control of it.

— Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 29 June 2026

Definition of relinquishing

Verb

Lawmakers tried for years to put limits on the practice before passing a bill this spring that raises the minimum legal age for riding in truck beds from 12 to 16.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026
Orcas are known to play with their food—passing dying prey around to one another, for example, like a macabre game of hot potato.

— Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 23 July 2026

Definition of passing

Verb

But Khamenei has remained hidden from public view, neither addressing the nation directly nor visibly asserting his authority, even as officials negotiate or govern in his name.

— Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
Before Sajet stepped down, the Smithsonian released a statement asserting that only its secretary and board can make such decisions, not the president.

— Christopher Cann, USA Today, 10 July 2026

Definition of asserting

Verb

Having convinced the wide player that coming under his tutelage is the right next step, following talks with Chelsea post-Rogers’ sale, Garnacho is set for a critical, arguably career-defining, 12 months.

— Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Infleqtion's system, designed for hybrid AI integration, aims for 50 logical qubits, scaling to over 1,000, positioning neutral-atom technology potentially defining quantum's first practical applications.

— Karl Freund, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of defining

Verb

Simultaneously rendering the past less remote while relishing its radical foreignness, Beard presses readers to grapple with alien ideas, reckon with gaps in their knowledge, and confront complexity.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
New state-level AI laws face significant enforcement challenges, rendering many ineffective.

— Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 17 July 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 24 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of laying down

verb

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