lair

1 of 2

noun

ˈler 

1

dialectal British : a resting or sleeping place : bed

2

a

: the resting or living place of a wild animal : den

tracked the bear back to its lair

b

: a refuge or place for hiding

a villain's lair

lair

2 of 2

verb

laired; lairing; lairs

transitive verb

chiefly Scotland : to cause to sink in mire

intransitive verb

chiefly Scotland : wallow

Synonyms

Noun

• hideout
• nest

Examples of lair in a Sentence

Noun

tracking the bear back to its lair

She runs the project from her private lair in the suburbs.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Free of blood and gore, Nightbooks follows a kid who loves scary stories until he is forced to tell a new one every night or stay trapped in a witch's lair forever. —Emy Lacroix, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025

Cast adrift in a frosty wilderness—a harrowing yet welcome departure, visually, from the Gothic shadows of Victor’s lair—the Creature experiences a dollop of decency, courtesy of a blind old farmer (a wonderful David Bradley), but also a deluge of misery, courtesy of everyone else. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2025

These involve raiding the lairs of hoodlum rivals, then singlehandedly dissuading them from competition. —Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025

Once the pair have Michelle in their lair, the film becomes a chamber piece, confined to Teddy and Don’s claustrophobic home. —Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 24 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English leger; akin to Old High German legar bed, Old English licgan to lie — more at lie

Verb

Scots lair mire

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1560, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for lair

• air
• ayre
• bahr
• bare
• blare
• care
• chair
• claire
• ere
• err
• eyre
• fair

Kids Definition

lair

noun

ˈla(ə)r,

ˈle(ə)r

1

: the den or resting place of a wild animal

2

: refuge sense 1, hideaway