lay

I

[[t]leɪ[/t]]

v. laid, lay•ing, n.

1) to put or place in a horizontal position or position of rest; set down:

to lay a book on a desk[/ex]

2) to knock or beat down, as from an erect position; strike or throw to the ground:

One punch laid him low[/ex]

3) to put or place in a particular position:

The dog laid its ears back[/ex]

4) to cause to be in a particular state or condition:

Their motives were laid bare; We laid their doubts at rest[/ex]

5) to set, place, or apply (often fol. by to or on):

to lay a hand on someone[/ex]

6) to dispose or place in proper position or in an orderly fashion:

to lay bricks[/ex]

7) to place on, along, or under a surface:

to lay a pipeline[/ex]

8) to establish as a basis; set up:

to lay the foundations for further negotiations[/ex]

9) to present or submit for notice or consideration:

I laid my case before the commission[/ex]

10) to present, bring forward, or make, as a claim or charge

11) to impute, attribute, or ascribe:

to lay blame on the inspector[/ex]

12) to bury:

They laid him in the old churchyard[/ex]

13) zool. to bring forth and deposit (an egg or eggs)

14) to impose as a burden, duty, penalty, or the like:

to lay an embargo on oil shipments[/ex]

15) to place dinner service on (a table); set

16) to place on or over a surface, as paint; cover or spread with something else

17) to devise or arrange, as a plan

18) to deposit as a wager; stake:

He laid $10 on the horse[/ex]

19) to bet (someone):

I'll lay you ten to one that we win[/ex]

20) to set (a trap)

21) to place, set, or locate:

The scene is laid in France[/ex]

22) to smooth down or make even:

to lay the nap of cloth[/ex]

23) to quiet or make vanish:

to lay a ghost[/ex]

24) to cause to subside:

A light rain layed the dust[/ex]

25) sts Vulgar Slang. to have sexual intercourse with

26) to bring (a stick, lash, etc.) down, as on a person, in inflicting punishment

27) to form by twisting strands together, as a rope

28) naut. navig. to move or turn (a sailing vessel) into a certain position or direction

29) mil to aim a cannon in a specified direction at a specified elevation

30) to put (dogs) on a scent

31) zool. to lay eggs

32) to wager or bet

33) to apply oneself vigorously

34) to deal or aim blows vigorously (usu. fol. by on, at, about, etc.)

35) sts Nonstandard.

lie II

36) dial. South Midland U.S. to plan or scheme (often fol. by out)

37) naut. navig. Naut. to take up a specified position, direction, etc.:

to lay close to the wind[/ex]

38) naut. navig. lay aboard, (formerly, of a fighting ship) to come alongside (another fighting ship) in order to board

39) phv lay aside

a) to abandon; reject

b) to save for use at a later time; store

40) phv lay away

a) to reserve for later use; save

b) to hold merchandise pending final payment or request for delivery:

to lay away a winter coat[/ex]

c) to bury (someone)

41) phv lay back, Slang. to relax

42) phv lay by

to put away for future use; store; save:

She had managed to lay by money for college[/ex]

43) phv lay down

a) to give up; hand over; yield

b) to assert firmly; state authoritatively

c) to stock; store:

to lay down wine[/ex]

44) phv+inf lay for, to wait for in hiding in order to ambush

45) phv lay in, to store away for future use

46) phv inf lay into, to attack physically or verbally

47) phv lay off

a) to dismiss (an employee), esp. temporarily because of slack business

b) Informal. to cease or quit

c) Slang. to stop annoying or teasing

d) Informal. to stop work

e) to stop or stop using:

to lay off drinking[/ex]

f) to mark off; measure; plot

g) to transfer (part of a wager) to other bookmakers, for protection against losses

h) to transfer (blame or responsibility) to another

48) phv lay on

a) to cover with; apply:

to lay on a coat of wax[/ex]

b) to strike blows; attack violently

49) phv lay open

a) to cut open

b) to expose; reveal

c) to expose or make vulnerable, as to blame, suspicion, or criticism

50) phv lay out

a) to extend at length

b) to spread out in order; arrange; prepare

c) to plan; plot; design

d) to ready (a corpse) for burial

e) Informal. to spend or contribute (money)

f) Slang. to knock (someone) down or unconscious

g) cvb Slang. to scold vehemently; reprimand

h) to make a layout of

51) phv lay over

a) to postpone

b) to make a stopover

52) phv lay to

a) naut. navig. to check the motion of (a ship)

b) naut. navig. to put (a ship) in a dock or other place of safety

c) to attack vigorously

d) to put forth effort; apply oneself

53) phv lay up

a) to put away for future use; store up

b) to cause to be confined to bed or kept indoors; disable

c) bui to construct (a masonry structure)

d) bui to apply (alternate layers of a material and a binder) to form a bonded material

54) the way or position in which a thing is laid or lies:

the lay of the south pasture[/ex]

55) sts Vulgar Slang.

a) a partner in sexual intercourse

b) an instance of sexual intercourse

56) tex the quality of a fiber rope characterized by the degree of twist, the angles formed by the strands, and the fibers in the strands

57) a share of the profits or the catch of a whaling or fishing voyage, distributed to officers and crew

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- get laid lay bare lay it on (thick)

Etymology: bef. 900; ME layen, leggen, OE lecgan (causative of licgan to lie II), c. OS leggian, OHG lecken, legen, ON legja, Go lagjan usage: lay and lie are often confused. lay is most commonly a transitive verb and takes an object. Its forms are regular. If “place” or “put” can be substituted in a sentence, a form of lay is called for: Lay the folders on the desk. She laid the baby in the crib. lay also has several intransitive senses, among them “to lay eggs” (The hens have stopped laying), and it forms many phrasal verbs, such as lay off . ― lie, with the overall senses “to be in a horizontal position, recline” and “to rest, remain, be situated, etc.,” is intransitive and takes no object. Its forms are irregular; its past tense form is identical with the present tense or infinitive form of lay: Lie down, children. Abandoned cars were lying along the road. The dog lay in the shade. The folders have lain on the desk since yesterday. Substitution of forms of lay for those of lie occur in all but the most formal speech and writing, but constructions like the following are generally considered incorrect: Can you lay down? The dog laid in the shade. Abandoned cars were laying along the road. The folders have laid on the desk since yesterday. II

lay

[[t]leɪ[/t]] v.

pt. of

lie II III

lay

[[t]leɪ[/t]] adj.

1) belonging to, involving, or performed by the laity, as distinguished from the clergy:

a lay sermon[/ex]

2) not belonging to, connected with, or proceeding from a profession, esp. the law or medicine:

a lay opinion on a legal case[/ex]

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Etymology: 1300–50; ME < MF lai < ML lāicus laic IV

lay

[[t]leɪ[/t]] n.

1) lit. a short narrative or other poem

2) mad a song

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Etymology: 1200–50; ME lai < OF, perh. < Celtic; cf. OIr láed, laíd poem, lay