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

• concealment
• covert
• den
• hermitage
• hideaway
• hideout
• hidey-hole
• hidy-hole
• nest

Example Sentences

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

In summer 2020, the taproom moved out of the brewery’s famously cozy basement lair in North Portland, just east of the Broadway Bridge in the Leftbank Building, and took over the former Sting Ray Cafe space on the ground floor. —oregonlive, 17 Feb. 2023

In the opening scenes, the audience sees a grown-up Christopher Robin and his wife Mary creeping around Pooh and Piglet’s ramshackle lair in the dark depths of Hundred Acre Wood. —K.j. Yossman, Variety, 15 Feb. 2023

Cellar Calling all oenophiles: This moody lair is an excellent place to have a wine tasting. —Kelsey Mulvey, House Beautiful, 15 Feb. 2023

The flagship Casino Royale appeared in the 2006 James Bond movie of the same name, as the floating lair of the villain, Le Chiffre. —Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2023

Manila oversees the contest from a gritty lair beneath the streets of the country's capital city, where the cast debuts stunning runway creations. —Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 30 Nov. 2022

Nestled discreetly on a hillside in Los Angeles’s historic Beachwood Canyon, just below the iconic Hollywood sign, sits a sleek postmodern lair. —David Nash, ELLE Decor, 6 Oct. 2022

One day in early March last year, a Sama employee was at work reading an explicit story about Batman’s sidekick, Robin, being raped in a villain’s lair. —Time, 18 Jan. 2023

In the trailer for the new ten-episode series, victims are tortured in a serial killer’s cliché lair. —Vulture, 4 Nov. 2022

See More

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

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