lay of the land

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

So investors may have been waiting to evaluate the lay of the land.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

"He was obviously a frontrunner for a very long time, and then when the all the different award ceremonies start happening back-to-back, you get a lay of the land."

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026

UFC production chief Craig Borsari has already visited the White House five times to get the lay of the land and is in contact with the Secret Service.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

"I love turning on terrestrial television in any country that I'm in. It really gives you the lay of the land."

From Salon • Jan. 15, 2025

I considered the lay of the land and followed some animal trails.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss