lay of the land

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.

So investors may have been waiting to evaluate the lay of the land.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

UFC production chief Craig Borsari has already visited the White House five times to get the lay of the land and is in contact with the Secret Service.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

"I love turning on terrestrial television in any country that I'm in. It really gives you the lay of the land."

From Salon • Jan. 15, 2025

"Then you kind of know the lay of the land and where the hazards are," he said.

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2024

Now, in the long, lingering twilight of a late June Northwest evening, Joe sat on the hood of the Franklin, in front of the office, and studied the lay of the land before him.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown