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

In 2025, all 50 states saw proposals related to AI introduced, with 38 states enacting some sort of regulation, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

— Arpan Lobo, Freep.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Consider enacting wind barriers to protect your lavender if they’re planted in a spot that will likely experience harsh winds.

— Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of enacting

Verb

When the trial reconvened less than 30 minutes later, a statement was read aloud declaring that Bulone had found Kosowski guilty of first-degree murder.

— Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Newsom spoke with European Union Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra on Tuesday during New York’s Climate Week, a day after declaring a state of emergency as California braces for one of the strongest storms on record.

— Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of declaring

Verb

In addition to specifying what an agent is allowed to access, organizations need to be equally explicit about what the agent is expected to accomplish, where autonomous decision-making is appropriate and when human approval is required.

— Sumit Dhawan, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
All 50 states are invited to submit a single response, specifying their contributions such as land, infrastructure, funding, and more.

— Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of specifying

Verb

And now, after its award-winning world premiere in the Next Wave competition at Fantastic Fest and a major screening at Zurich Film Festival, Schulman is slowly but surely relinquishing control.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026
One panel was falling, then smashing on the path, lead relinquishing its long grip on the glass.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of relinquishing

Verb

The Musée de l’Orangerie is celebrating the centennial of Monet’s passing with an exhibit focusing on his art’s relation with time through about 40 paintings.

— Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
Almost a decade later in its Broadway debut, it’s lost none of that, and White’s production — perhaps inevitably given the arc of those passing years — adds sharpness to its cruelties and weight to its grief.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of passing

Verb

Boutrous pushed back on the claim, asserting that the first mention of national security came only days after the ban was imposed.

— Juliana Kim, NPR, 23 Sep. 2026
But that is different from reserving the right, in advance, to misbehave — or asserting that your brother-in-law was not actually forgiven.

— Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of asserting

Verb

Yet musical improvisation remained a defining influence throughout his practice, which was unusual in its diversity of styles, mediums, and materials.

— Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Districts resorted to defining competency as the lowest passing grade.

— Neetu Arnold, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of defining

Verb

By updating the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive to blacklist specific misleading marketing tactics, however, EmpCo could lighten the load for watchdog groups by rendering once-routine declarations off-limits.

— Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026
The movie is fantastic, a true thriller, and while some liberties were taken with the depiction of outer space, the basic premise of a cascading series of collisions rendering orbits too cluttered with debris to be usable is valid.

— Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 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 2 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of laying down

verb

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