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Definitions

lay

[ley] / leɪ /
ADJECTIVE
amateur, not trained in a religious or other profession
Synonyms
Antonyms






VERB
design, plan
Synonyms


VERB
bet, wager
Synonyms
NOUN
a song or poem
Synonyms


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

An opposition statement said the talks would lay down "a route map towards democracy".

From BBC Jul. 15, 2026

On Friday, Fanara’s daughter Michelle Fanara said, her father was working on a project at a neighboring property, stepped inside Palermo, lay down to rest and did not get up.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 14, 2026

By opening people’s minds and widening the scope of human control, these developments helped lay the groundwork for the rise of capitalism in Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 14, 2026

Warsh is testifying this morning before Congress to lay out his inflation-fighting strategy.

From MarketWatch Jul. 14, 2026

Curled up on the shore, she lay with her eyes closed.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

"Their contribution has inspired us to take up cricket and to perform the way we are doing today, so their role is very crucial and they have laid the foundation," she said.

From BBC Jul. 14, 2026

In another, a grey-haired woman laid one hand atop the coffin while she dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

From Barron's Jul. 14, 2026

UC had carefully laid out the road map: One work group would have investigated “the advantages and disadvantages” of relying on SAT and ACT scores and California’s 11th-grade Smarter Balanced assessment.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 13, 2026

He laid the basis for Conservatives to dominate British politics from 1886 to 1997, as his successors adapted to an emergent mass culture and wider suffrage.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 12, 2026

Inwardly fuming, I fixed a wooden expression on my face, folded the headband, and laid it back with the others.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

In June, Lucid began implementing a plan that it said would save the company $158 million by laying off 18% of its U.S. workforce and eliminating a shift at its factory in Arizona.

From MarketWatch Jul. 14, 2026

The album’s lead single, “In the Stars,” finds guitarist Keith Richards laying down a fiery riff against Mick Jagger’s raw and affecting lead vocals.

From Salon Jul. 13, 2026

A Chinese company started laying the groundwork for a competing trial within six weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 10, 2026

One mayor in Siberia is laying on portable toilets for drivers.

From BBC Jul. 8, 2026

I thought of Biddy and her sisters laying warm brown eggs in their baskets, Muc to have piglets one day.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff




Vocabulary lists containing lay


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