Lay

English Meaning

Of or pertaining to the laity, as distinct from the clergy; as, a lay person; a lay preacher; a lay brother.

1. To cause to lie down: lay a child in its crib.
2. To place in or bring to a particular position: lay the cloth over the painting.
3. To bury.
4. To cause to be in a particular condition: The remark laid him open to criticism.
5. To put or set down: lay new railroad track.
6. To produce and deposit: lay eggs.
7. To cause to subside; calm or allay: "chas'd the clouds ... and laid the winds” ( John Milton).
8. To put up to or against: lay an ear to the door.
9. To put forward as a reproach or an accusation: They laid the blame on us.
10. To put or set in order or readiness for use: lay the table for lunch.
11. To devise; contrive: lay plans.
12. To spread over a surface: lay paint on a canvas.
13. To place or give (importance): lay stress on clarity of expression.
14. To impose as a burden or punishment: lay a penalty upon the offender.
15. To present for examination: lay a case before a committee.
16. To put forward as a demand or an assertion: laid claim to the estate.
17. Games To place (a bet); wager.
18. To aim (a gun or cannon).
19. To place together (strands) to be twisted into rope.
20. To make in this manner: lay up cable.
21. Vulgar Slang To have sexual intercourse with.
22. To produce and deposit eggs.
23. To bet; wager.
24. Nonstandard To lie.
25. To engage energetically in an action.
26. Nautical To put oneself into the position indicated.
27. The direction the strands of a rope or cable are twisted in: a left lay.
28. The amount of such twist.
29. The state of one that lays eggs: a hen coming into lay.
30. Vulgar Slang Sexual intercourse.
31. Vulgar Slang A partner in sexual intercourse.
32. lay about To strike blows on all sides.
33. lay aside To give up; abandon: lay aside all hope of rescue.
34. lay aside To save for the future.
35. lay away To reserve for the future; save.
36. lay away To put aside and hold for future delivery.
37. lay by To save for future use.
38. lay by Nautical To remain stationary while heading into the wind.
39. lay down To give up and surrender: laid down their arms.
40. lay down To specify: laid down the rules.
41. lay down To store for the future.
42. lay down Nonstandard To lie down.
43. lay for Informal To be waiting to attack: Muggers lay for the unsuspecting pedestrian in the dark alley.
44. lay in To store for future use: lay in supplies for an Arctic winter.
45. lay into Slang To scold sharply.
46. lay into Slang To attack physically; beat up.
47. lay off To terminate the employment of (a worker), especially temporarily.
48. lay off To mark off: lay off an area for a garden.
49. lay off Slang To stop doing something; quit.
50. lay off Games To place all or a part of (an accepted bet) with another bookie in order to reduce the risk.
51. lay on To apply (something) by or as if by spreading onto a flat surface: laid on a thick Southern accent.
52. lay on To prepare, usually in an elaborate fashion; arrange: laid on cocktails for 50 at the last minute.
53. lay on Slang To present or reveal to; confront with: "went around talking to people about anything until he could lay his standard question on them” ( John Vinocur).
54. lay out To make a detailed plan for.
55. lay out To clothe and prepare (a corpse) for burial.
56. lay out To rebuke harshly: She laid me out for breaking the vase.
57. lay out To knock to the ground or unconscious.
58. lay out To expend; spend: lay out a fortune on jewelry.
59. lay out To display: lay out merchandise; lay the merchandise out.
60. lay over To make a stopover in the course of a journey.
61. lay to Nautical To bring (a ship) to a stop in open water.
62. lay to Nautical To remain stationary while heading into the wind.
63. lay up To stock for future use: lay up supplies for a long journey.
64. lay up Informal To confine with an illness or injury: was laid up for a month.
65. lay up Nautical To put (a ship) in dock, as for repairs.
66. lay up Sports To hit a golf shot less far than one is able so as to avoid a hazard.
67. lay down the law To assert positively and often arrogantly.
68. lay it on thick Informal To exaggerate; overstate.
69. lay it on thick Informal To flatter effusively.
70. lay of the land The nature, arrangement, or disposition of something.
71. lay rubber Slang To accelerate a motor vehicle suddenly from a halt to a high speed, thereby spinning the wheels and depositing on the road a thin film of burned rubber from the rear tire or tires.
72. lay waste To ravage: Rebel troops laid waste the town.
73. Of, relating to, or involving the laity: a lay preacher.
74. Not of or belonging to a particular profession; nonprofessional: a lay opinion as to the seriousness of the disease.
75. A narrative poem, such as one sung by medieval minstrels; a ballad.
76. A song; a tune.
77. Past tense of lie1.