LAYS BY Synonyms: 122 Similar and Opposite Words

lays by

verb

present tense third-person singular of lay by

as in dumps

to get rid of as useless or unwanted a politician who had laid by his principles years ago

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stores

to put (something of future use or value) in a safe or secret place ever since the last hurricane caught them unprepared, they have laid by emergency supplies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lays by

Verb

To protect Mexico’s tourism-reliant economy, the Navy is fighting a massive sargassum bloom that dumps thousands of tons of seaweed onto Caribbean beaches daily.

— David Shortell Cristopher Rogel Blanquet, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Similarly, places that rely on natural snow, like Monarch Mountain and Wolf Creek Ski Area, don’t set open dates until Mother Nature dumps a healthy helping of powder.

— Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of dumps

Verb

This is the God of end-times preppers, the God who stashes clues to Armageddon in sacred texts like so many colored eggs at Easter.

— David Von Drehle, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
This one stashes easily in a bag, adds a warming layer while in flight, can be worn as a scarf, and adds a dressy element to even casual looks.

— Tanya Sharma, PEOPLE, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of stashes

Verb

Converting continuous pulsar profiles into simple on/off sequences also discards finer details that could contain useful information.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 1 Nov. 2026
Because there has to be meaning and lessons and broad conclusions to draw from every outcome, the baseball world picks a reason and explanation, then quietly discards it when next year's team does the opposite.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of discards

Verb

Paige Spiranac unloads her Halloween content on America Now to more important matters than the sad state of Ohio State football.

— Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
Down the street, metal striking concrete rattles the air as a repairman unloads a ladder.

— Kendra Nordin Beato, Christian Science Monitor, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of unloads

Verb

But if the aircraft also loses access to reliable navigation data, the situation can become considerably more complicated.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2026
Blood sugar can rise again, particularly if someone regains weight or their pancreas loses more of its ability to produce insulin.

— Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of loses

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

lays away

lays by

lays down

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Lays by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lays%20by. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of lays by

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gauntlet

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes