Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

lay1

Pronunciation: /leɪ/
Translate lay | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of lay

verb (past and past participle laid /leɪd/)

  • 1 [with object and adverbial of place] put (something) down gently or carefully:she laid the baby in his cot
  • [with object] prevent (something) from rising off the ground:there may have been the odd light shower just to lay the dust
  • 2 [with object] put down and set in position for use:it is advisable to have your carpet laid by a professional
  • British set cutlery, crockery, etc. on (a table) in preparation for a meal:she laid the table for dinner
  • (often be laid with) cover (a surface) with objects or a substance:the floor was laid with mattresses
  • put the material for (a fire) in place and arrange it: he was making newspaper knots before laying a fire in the fireplace
  • prepare (a trap) for someone:she wouldn’t put it past him to lay a trap for her
  • work out (an idea or suggestion) in detail ready for use or presentation:I’d like more time to lay my plans
  • (lay something before) present information or suggestions to be considered and acted upon by (someone):he laid before Parliament proposals for the establishment of the committee
  • locate (an episode in a play, novel, etc.) in a particular place:no one who knew the area could be in doubt where the scene was laid
  • [with object] stake (an amount of money) in a bet:she suspected he was pulling her leg, but she wouldn’t have laid money on it
  • 3 [with object] used with an abstract noun so that the phrase formed has the same meaning as the verb related to the noun used, e.g. ‘lay the blame on’ means ‘to blame’:she laid great stress on little courtesies
  • 4 [with object] (of a female bird, insect, reptile, or amphibian) produce (an egg) from inside the body:flamingos lay only one egg [no object]:the hens were laying at the same rate as usual
  • 5 [with object] vulgar slang have sexual intercourse with.
  • 6 [with object] Nautical follow (a specified course): I’m going to lay a course for Ibiza harbour
  • 7 [with object] trim (a hedge) back, cutting the branches half through, bending them down, and interweaving them: most hedges are no longer laid

noun

  • 1 [in singular] the general appearance of an area of land:the lay of the surrounding countryside
  • the position or direction in which something lies:roll the carpet against the lay of the nap
  • the direction or amount of twist in rope strands.
  • 2 vulgar slang an act of sexual intercourse.
  • [with adjective] a person with a particular ability or availability as a sexual partner.
  • 3 [mass noun] the laying of eggs or the period during which they are laid: the onset of lay may be marked by a dropping of the duck’s abdomen

Phrases

in lay

(of a hen) laying eggs regularly.

lay something at someone's door

see door.

lay something bare

bring something out of concealment; expose something:the sad tale of failure was laid bare

lay a charge

make an accusation:we could lay a charge of gross negligence

lay claim to

assert that one has a right to (something):four men laid claim to the leadership
assert that one possesses (a skill or quality):she has never laid claim to medical knowledge

lay down one's arms (or weapons)

cease fighting.

lay down the law

see law.

lay down one's life

sacrifice one’s life for a cause:the willingness of British troops to lay down their lives for their country is a humbling thought

lay eyes on

see eye.

lay a (or the) ghost

exorcise a ghost.
finally cease to be troubled by the memory of an unpleasant situation or event:by claiming victory, they laid to rest the ghosts of five previous defeats

lay hands on (also lay or put one's hands on)

  • 1find and take possession of:they huddled trying to keep warm under anything they could lay hands on
  • 2place one’s hands on or over, especially in confirmation, ordination, or spiritual healing: at the healing service, the clergy offered to lay hands on anyone who wished it

lay hold of (or on)

catch or gain possession of:he was afraid she might vanish if he did not lay hold of her

lay it on the line

see line1.

lay someone low

(of an illness) reduce someone to inactivity:he was laid low by a stomach bug
bring to an end the high position or good fortune formerly enjoyed by someone:she reflected on how quickly fate can lay a person low

lay something on the table

see table.

lay something on thick (or with a trowel)

informal grossly exaggerate or overemphasize something: the message is laid on with a trowel for three hours

lay someone open to

expose someone to the risk of (something):his position could lay him open to accusations of favouritism

lay oneself out to do something

chiefly British make a special effort to do something:she’s laying herself out to be pleasant

lay siege to

see siege.

lay store by

see store.

lay someone/thing to rest

bury a body in a grave: they couldn’t lay him to rest as his body was never discovered
soothe and dispel fear, anxiety, etc.:suspicion will be laid to rest by fact rather than hearsay

lay something (to) waste

see waste.

Phrasal Verbs

lay about

British
beat or attack (someone) violently: they weren’t against laying about you with sticks and stones
(lay about one) strike out wildly on all sides:the mare laid about her with her front legs and teeth

lay something aside

put something to one side:he laid aside his book figurativethe situation gave them a good reason to lay aside their differences
reserve money for the future or for a particular cause: he begged them to lay something aside towards the cause

lay something down

  • 1put something down.
  • 2formulate and enforce or insist on a rule or principle:stringent criteria have been laid down
  • 3pay or bet money: when it comes to field sports, large sums of money are laid down
  • 4begin to construct a ship or railway: twenty-four ships were projected, of which twenty were laid down
  • build up a deposit of a substance:these cells lay down new bone tissue
  • 5store wine in a cellar: each bottle has to be laid down for several years before it is ready to drink
  • 6 informal record a piece of music:he was invited to the studio to lay down some backing vocals

lay something in/up

build up a stock of something in case of need: the police are expecting riots and preparing by laying in guns and tear gas

lay into

informal attack violently with words or blows:three youths laid into him

lay off

informal give up or stop doing something:I laid off smoking for seven years

lay someone off

discharge a worker temporarily or permanently because of a shortage of work: the company has laid off 30 per cent of its staff

lay something off

  • 1chiefly Soccer pass the ball to a teammate: Jules laid the ball off to the striker
  • 2paint the final layer on a wall or other surface: lay off the paint with very light brush strokes
  • 3(of a bookmaker) insure against a loss resulting from a large bet by placing a similar bet with another bookmaker.

lay something on

  • 1British provide a service or amenity:the council provides a grant to lay on a bus
  • 2 informal require (someone) to endure or deal with a responsibility or difficulty:this is an absurdly heavy guilt trip to lay on anyone

lay someone out

  • 1prepare someone for burial after death: they laid him out in the cabin in a big wooden box
  • 2 informal knock someone unconscious:he was lucky that the punch didn’t lay him out

lay something out

  • 1spread something out to its full extent: the police were insisting that suitcases should be opened and their contents laid out her evening dress was laid out on the bed
  • 2construct or arrange buildings or gardens according to a plan: they proceeded to lay out a new town
  • arrange and present material for printing and publication:the brochure is beautifully laid out
  • explain something clearly and carefully:we need a paper laying out our priorities
  • 3 informal spend a sum of money:look at the money I had to lay out for your uniform

lay over

US break one’s journey: Steven and I will lay over in New York, then fly to London

lay up

Golf hit the ball deliberately to a lesser distance than possible, typically in order to avoid a hazard: the conservative thing to do was lay up and settle for a five

lay someone up

put someone out of action through illness or injury:he was laid up with the flu

lay something up

  • 2put a ship or boat in dock or out of commission:our boats were laid up during the winter months I decided to lay the boat up there
  • 3assemble plies or layers in the arrangement required for the manufacture of plywood or other laminated material: successive plies are laid up until the desired thickness is achieved

Origin:

Old English lecgan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch leggen and German legen, also to lie1

The verb lay means, broadly, ‘put something down’, as in they are going to lay the carpet. The past tense and the past participle of this verb is laid, as in they laid the groundwork or she had laid careful plans. The verb lie, on the other hand, means ‘be in a horizontal position to rest’, as in why don’t you lie on the floor? The past tense of this verb is lay (he lay on the floor) and the past participle is lain (she had lain on the bed for hours). Thus, in correct use, lay can be either the past tense of lie or the base form of lay. In practice many people make the mistake of using lay, laying, and laid as if they meant lie, lying, lay, and lain. Examples of incorrect use: why don’t you lay on the bed? (correct form is lie); she was laying on the bed (correct form is lying); he had laid on the floor for hours (correct form is lain).

lay in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of lay in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

  |  Cite
Oxford Dictionaries Pro

For Oxford's best resources for writers, plus thesaurus, audio, and 1.9m examples.

GET PRO ►

Shop for an Oxford dictionary
Find the perfect Oxford dictionary for you in our online shop.
SHOP NOW ►

Word of the day

rebarbative

/ rɪˈbɑːbətɪv /
adjective
unattractive and objectionable …