layup

1 of 2

noun

lay·​up ˈlā-ˌəp 

1

: the action of laying up or the condition of being laid up

2

: a shot in basketball made from near the basket usually by playing the ball off the backboard

lay up

2 of 2

verb

laid up; laying up; lays up

transitive verb

1

: to store up : lay by

2

: to disable or confine with illness or injury

a knee injury laid him up for a week

3

: to take out of active service

Synonyms

Verb

• cache
• hoard
• lay away
• lay by
• lay in
• put by
• salt away
• squirrel (away)
• stash
• stockpile
• store
• stow
• treasure

Examples of layup in a Sentence

Verb

an eating disorder that would impel her to lay up candy bars in her closet for all-night food binges

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Johnson added 12 points after repeatedly driving for layups, Dylan Andrews made two three-pointers on the way to 14 points and Sebastian Mack added 12 points to go with his trademark grit off the bench. —Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024

Hield sank another 3 and sprinted down the court for a fast-break layup. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 2 Nov. 2024

Verb

And with female cane toads capable of laying up to 30,000 eggs at a time, their numbers multiplied at an almost unstoppable pace. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

Additionally, the tubes were improperly laid up during the two-year shutdown period, causing 700 tubes in one steam generator and 248 in the other to now require significant repair. —Therese Boudreaux | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

layup

1 of 2 noun

lay·​up ˈlā-ˌəp 

: a basketball shot made from near the basket usually by bouncing the ball off the backboard

lay up

2 of 2 verb

1

: to store up

2

: to disable or confine with illness or injury

a knee injury laid her up for a week

3

: to take out of active service