lay

1 of 5

verb

ˈlā 

laid ˈlād  ; laying

transitive verb

1

: to beat or strike down with force

2

a

: to put or set down

lay your books on the table

b

: to place for rest or sleep

She laid the baby in his crib for a nap.

especially : bury

3

: to bring forth and deposit (an egg)

4

: calm, allay

lay the dust

5

: bet, wager

6

: to press down giving a smooth and even surface

brushing to lay the nap

7

a

: to dispose or spread over or on a surface

lay track

lay plaster

b

: to set in order or position

lay a table for dinner

lay brick

c

: to put (strands) in place and twist to form a rope, hawser, or cable

also : to make by putting strands in place and twisting

lay up rope

8

a

: to impose as a duty, burden, or punishment

lay a tax

b

: to put as a burden of reproach

laid the blame on her

c

: to advance as an accusation : impute

the disaster was laid to faulty inspection

9

: to place (something immaterial) on something

lay stress on grammar

10

: prepare, contrive

a well-laid plan

11

a

: to bring against or into contact with something : apply

laid the watch to his ear

b

: to prepare or position for action or operation

lay a fire in the fireplace

also : to adjust (a gun) to the proper direction and elevation

12

: to bring to a specified condition

lay waste the land

13

a

: assert, allege

lay claim to an estate

b

: to submit for examination and judgment

laid her case before the commission

14

often vulgar : to copulate with

intransitive verb

1

: to produce and deposit eggs

2

nonstandard : lie entry 1

3

: wager, bet

4

dialect : plan, prepare

5

a

: to apply oneself vigorously

laid to his oars

b

: to proceed to a specified place or position on a ship

lay aloft

Lay vs. Lie: Usage Guide

Lay has been used intransitively in the sense of "lie"

going to lay down for a quick nap

since the 14th century. The practice was unremarked until around 1770; attempts to correct it have been a fixture of schoolbooks ever since. Generations of teachers and critics have succeeded in taming most literary and learned writing, but intransitive lay persists in familiar speech and is a bit more common in general prose than one might suspect. Much of the problem lies in the confusing similarity of the principal parts of the two words. Another influence may be a folk belief that lie is for people and lay is for things. Some commentators are ready to abandon the distinction, suggesting that lay is on the rise socially. But if it does rise to respectability, it is sure to do so slowly: many people have invested effort in learning to keep lie and lay distinct. Remember that even though many people do use lay for lie, others will judge you unfavorably if you do.

lay

2 of 5

noun (1)

ˈlā 

1

: covert, lair

2

: something (such as a layer) that lies or is laid (see lay entry 1)

3

a

: line of action : plan

b

: line of work : occupation

4

a

: terms of sale or employment : price

b

: share of profit (as on a whaling voyage) paid in lieu of wages

5

a

: the amount of advance of any point in a rope strand for one turn

b

: the nature of a fiber rope as determined by the amount of twist, the angle of the strands, and the angle of the threads in the strands

6

: the way in which a thing lies or is laid in relation to something else

the lay of the land

7

: the state of one that lays eggs

hens coming into lay

8

a

vulgar : a partner in sexual intercourse

b

usually vulgar : sexual intercourse

lay

3 of 5

past tense of lie

lay

4 of 5

noun (2)

ˈlā 

1

: a simple narrative poem : ballad

2

: melody, song

lay

5 of 5

adjective

ˈlā 

1

: of or relating to the laity : not ecclesiastical

2

: of or relating to members of a religious house occupied with domestic or manual work

a lay brother

3

: not of a particular profession

the lay public

also : lacking extensive knowledge of a particular subject

Phrases

lay an egg

: to fail or blunder especially embarrassingly

The professor tried to be funny, but he laid an egg.

lay eyes on

: see, behold

I never laid eyes on her before today.

lay into

: to attack especially verbally

laid into the referee

lay on the table

1

: to remove (a parliamentary motion) from consideration indefinitely

2

British : to put (something, such as legislation) on the agenda

Synonyms

Verb

• depose
• deposit
• dispose
• emplace
• fix
• place
• position
• put
• set
• set up
• situate
• stick

Noun (1)

• calling
• employment
• game
• line
• occupation
• profession
• trade
• vocation
• work

Noun (2)

• air
• melody
• song
• strain
• tune
• warble

Examples of lay in a Sentence

Verb

Lay the fabric carefully on the table.

He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She laid the baby in his crib for a nap.

When will they lay the foundation for the addition?

lay tracks for the new railroad

They laid him in his grave.

Noun (1)

my main lay is as a general contractor, but I do side work as a carpenter

Noun (2)

the minstrel strummed a cheerful lay on his lute

she sang a short lay in dedication to her husband

Adjective

a science magazine written for the lay public

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

To get a detailed lay of the land, Frachetti and Maksudov equipped a drone with remote-sensing technology called lidar (light detection and ranging). —Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 23 Oct. 2024

The Guaita Tower, also called the First Tower, is one of the best places to get the sprawling lay of the land. —Elizabeth Heath, Travel + Leisure, 9 Oct. 2024

Adjective

Corsica, like much of France, has a long history of lay Catholic associations, known as confraternities. —Reuters, CNN, 15 Dec. 2024

The general public wins in that all three have, unusually for academic economists, written extensively for lay audiences; Acemoglu and Robinson’s 2012 book Why Nations Fail was a bestseller, and Johnson has had several prominent books on financial regulation and innovation. —Dylan Matthews, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun (1)

Middle English leyen, from Old English lecgan; akin to Old English licgan to lie — more at lie

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French lai — see lay entry 5

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French lai, from Late Latin laicus, from Greek laikos of the people, from laos people

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun (1)

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing lay

• get/lay one's hands on
• lay a finger on
• lay a hand on
• lay aside
• lay a/the foundation
• lay away
• lay bare
• lay by
• lay charges
• lay day
• lay down
• lay down one's arms
• lay down one's life
• lay down the law
• lay figure
• lay great stress/emphasis on
• lay hold of
• lay in
• lay it on
• lay it on the line
• lay off
• lay on
• lay oneself open
• lay out
• lay over
• lay plans
• lay/put a guilt trip on
• lay/put (all/all of) one's cards on the table
• lay/put (something) to rest
• lay/put stress on
• lay reader
• lay siege to
• lay (someone) to rest
• lay the blame for (something) at someone's door
• lay the blame/responsibility on
• lay the groundwork/foundation
• lay to
• lay up
• lay waste to
• set/lay great store by
• the lay of the land

Video

Lay vs. Lie

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.

Kids Definition

lay

1 of 5 verb

ˈlā 

laid ˈlād  ; laying

1

: to beat or strike down

wheat laid flat by the wind and rain

2

a

: to put or set on or against a surface or in order

lay the book on the table

lay bricks

b

: to place for rest or sleep

especially : bury sense 1

3

: to produce and deposit eggs

4

nonstandard : lie entry 1

5

: to cause to settle

a shower laid the dust

also : to make calm : allay

laid his fears

6

: to spread over a surface

lay plaster

7

: to make ready : prepare

lay plans

lay a table

8

: to deposit as a wager : bet

I'll lay you $10 on that

9

: impose sense 1a

lay a tax

lay blame

10

: to place or assign in one's scheme of things

lays great stress on manners

11

: to bring to a specified condition

lay waste to the land

12

: to put forward : submit

lay claim to an estate

lay

2 of 5 noun

: the way in which a thing lies in relation to something else

lay of the land

lay

3 of 5

past of lie entry 1

lay

4 of 5 noun

1

: a simple poem that tells a story : ballad

2

: melody sense 2, song

lay

5 of 5 adjective

: of or relating to laymen or the laity

Etymology

Verb

Old English lecgan "to beat down"

Noun

Middle English lay "ballad," from early French lai (same meaning)

Adjective

Middle English lay "of the people other than priests and clergy," from early French lai (same meaning), from Latin laicus "of the people," derived from Greek laos "people"

Legal Definition

lay

1 of 2 transitive verb

laid; laying

1

: to impose as a duty, burden, or punishment

lay a tax

2

a

: to put forward : assert

lay a claim

b

: to submit for examination and determination

laid a case before the commission

lay

2 of 2

past of lie