1
as in to enact
to put into effect through legislative or authoritative action
the city council promises to lay down new ordinances that will force dog walkers to clean up after their animals
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to declare
to state clearly and strongly
at the risk of their popularity, the parents laid down the rules for the party and wouldn't accept any arguments
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to specify
to give the rules about (something) clearly and exactly
the supervisor laid down the procedure for a complaint of sexual harassment
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4
as in to relinquish
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress
commanded the surrounded troops to lay down their weapons
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lay down
To make homes more resilient and more insurable, the foundation gave residents vouchers for gravel to lay down in the 5 feet surrounding their homes.
—
Taylor Haney, NPR, 22 Jan. 2025
After a while a couple of the wolves laid down for a few minutes, again showing they were not being disturbed by our presents.
—Stan Tekiela, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025
For Mahomes, that meant a chance to really lay down the law about who was in charge in the NFL now.
—Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 5 Feb. 2025
At one point, the video shows the man unbuckling his seatbelt and laying down in the back seat, before an officer, later identified as Harris, opens the door and begins allegedly punching and elbowing the man's head repeatedly.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay down
Taylor Haney, NPR, 22 Jan. 2025
After a while a couple of the wolves laid down for a few minutes, again showing they were not being disturbed by our presents.
—Stan Tekiela, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025
For Mahomes, that meant a chance to really lay down the law about who was in charge in the NFL now.
—Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 5 Feb. 2025
At one point, the video shows the man unbuckling his seatbelt and laying down in the back seat, before an officer, later identified as Harris, opens the door and begins allegedly punching and elbowing the man's head repeatedly.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay down
Verb
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Tariffs on Canada and Mexico were delayed for a month, but Trump did enact a new 10% across-the-board tariff on Chinese products.—
Auzinea Bacon,
CNN,
2 Mar. 2025
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Drouin fears what will happen to the lobster industry if the trade dispute persists and Canada enacts a retaliatory tariff on lobsters.—
Dee-Ann Durbin and Sally Ho,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In January, Hamden passed an ordinance declaring housing as a human right.—
Ginny Monk,
Hartford Courant,
1 Mar. 2025
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Solar maximum is declared when the number of sunspots peaks.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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But each of those neurons are really highly specified.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
3 Mar. 2025
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In its announcement, Kroger did not specify what McMullen did, only that his resignation stems from an investigation conducted by an independent counsel into certain behavior that the company's board became aware of on Feb. 21.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In fact, the deal’s toughest opponents argued that America had traded them away too soon: The pressure was working so well that if the U.S. had just kept it up, the Iranian regime might have permanently relinquished its entire nuclear program or, better yet, collapsed.—
Edward Fishman,
The Atlantic,
24 Feb. 2025
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Craig, who made his Bond debut in 2006's Casino Royale, relinquished his license to kill and retired his 007 with No Time to Die.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
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And those costs are expected to quickly be passed onto consumers.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN,
1 Mar. 2025
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While Hackman was not one of the actors listed by Chalamet in his speech, in the immediate aftermath of his passing, many have been quick to define the two-time Oscar winner similarly as one of the greatest performers to ever burn up the stage and screen.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Hamas asserted that all four hostages were killed in Israeli airstrikes.—
Johnatan Reiss,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
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Similar to the claims in Trump’s executive order, the Army asserted that the medical needs of transgender people were onerous or impossible for the Army to meet.—
Natalie Shibley / Made by History,
TIME,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The British duo’s songs were also defined by emotional catharsis, drawing on childhood trauma and nightmares to produce big, hooky synth pop anthems that quickly took over the charts in the U.K., and eventually the rest of the world.—
Al Shipley,
SPIN,
25 Feb. 2025
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The first step is to have your strategy and vision clearly defined.—
Tan Lin,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The state asked the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to toss out Glossip's conviction and sentence, arguing that the errors committed during the trial rendered both flaws.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2025
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While the haptic controls can be an annoyance, there is a feature that times out in 15 seconds and renders them inactive until a surface is pressed and held.—
Basem Wasef,
Robb Report,
25 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Lay down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20down. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
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