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Showing results for lay. Search instead for layu.
Definitions

lay

[ley] / leɪ /
ADJECTIVE
amateur, not trained in a religious or other profession
Synonyms
Antonyms






VERB
design, plan
Synonyms


VERB
bet, wager
Synonyms
NOUN
a song or poem
Synonyms


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.

See Examples For:

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that he will meet his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng this weekend for talks expected to lay the groundwork for the White House summit.

From Barron's Sep. 17, 2026

I lay out the problem, ask if I might be so bold as to invite myself, along with a couple of colleagues, to Cambridge, MA.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 15, 2026

Female flies lay their eggs in open wounds or natural body openings.

From Science Daily Sep. 15, 2026

Following the ceremony, people at the arboretum were invited to lay their own wreaths at the memorial.

From BBC Sep. 13, 2026

“I just thought that I might be able to help you improve your form even more. Given that I used to lay down a pretty good fly, I might be of help.”

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

The EU laid out plans Thursday for strict age limits for children to access social media, games and AI assistants -- and on forcing companies to make platforms safe before minors use them.

From Barron's Sep. 17, 2026

Raising your hand for middle management right now feels like volunteering to be laid off the next time your employer decides to become more “nimble.”

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 17, 2026

"The South African government has not adequately addressed the previously laid out concerns," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement announcing the restrictions on Tuesday.

From BBC Sep. 16, 2026

At the same time, thousands of potential thieves were laid off from work and sent home from school.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 15, 2026

Even the cabbages, radishes, and long green beans laid out on the vegetable carts were dusty, despite the sellers swiping them with cloths at regular intervals.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

"The car seat was laying down where they had tried to go through the boot to get out," Canberk said.

From BBC Sep. 12, 2026

In the warm, dry spring a glut of glorious foundresses – new queens – emerged from hibernation to start their nests alone, carrying out all the nest building, egg laying, foraging and brood rearing.

From Science Daily Sep. 11, 2026

The layoffs were part of a larger cost-cutting effort at Microsoft, which is laying off about 2% of its workforce in total.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 9, 2026

Meanwhile, our Journal colleagues Gina Heeb and Ben Glickman report that EverBank Financial has agreed to a reverse merger, laying a path for the bank’s private-equity owners to eventually exit.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 8, 2026

“I’m gonna go bored out of my mind laying around all day, but you gotta take care of your health when that’s all you’ve got. Remember that.”

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly




Vocabulary lists containing lay


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