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

Examples of lair in a Sentence

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

But before Guillermo leaves for good, Nandor offers him a seat in his coffin, which unexpectedly is revealed to be the secret entrance to the underground crime-fighting lair much to the former familiar's delight and surprise. —Stacy Lambe, People.com, 17 Dec. 2024

By October 1, the front yards around our home are fully transformed into graveyards, haunted houses, a witch's lair, or zombie central. —Mia Taylor, Parents, 11 Oct. 2024

The mega-billionaire then turns Mt. Whitney into his lair, calling it Mt. Mar-a-Lago. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2024

The huge back room, however, looks like a mad scientist’s lair, with an 80-foot-long white tank, other tanks that look like giant washtubs, tons of glowing electronic equipment, and elaborate pipes and cabling. —Steven Levy, WIRED, 25 Oct. 2024

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