Associations to the word «Lay»

Wiktionary

LAY, verb. (transitive) To place down in a position of rest, or in a horizontal position.
LAY, verb. (transitive) (archaic) To cause to subside or abate.
LAY, verb. (transitive) To prepare (a plan, project etc.); to set out, establish (a law, principle).
LAY, verb. (transitive) To install certain building materials, laying one thing on top of another.
LAY, verb. (transitive) To produce and deposit an egg.
LAY, verb. (transitive) To bet (that something is or is not the case).
LAY, verb. (transitive) To deposit (a stake) as a wager; to stake; to risk.
LAY, verb. (transitive) (slang) To have sex with.
LAY, verb. (nautical) To take a position; to come or go.
LAY, verb. (legal) To state; to allege.
LAY, verb. (military) To point; to aim.
LAY, verb. (ropemaking) To put the strands of (a rope, a cable, etc.) in their proper places and twist or unite them.
LAY, verb. (printing) To place and arrange (pages) for a form upon the imposing stone.
LAY, verb. (printing) To place (new type) properly in the cases.
LAY, verb. To apply; to put.
LAY, verb. To impose (a burden, punishment, command, tax, etc.).
LAY, verb. To impute; to charge; to allege.
LAY, verb. To present or offer.
LAY, noun. Arrangement or relationship; layout.
LAY, noun. A share of the profits in a business.
LAY, noun. The direction a rope is twisted.
LAY, noun. (colloquial) A casual sexual partner.
LAY, noun. (colloquial) An act of sexual intercourse.
LAY, noun. (slang) (archaic) A plan; a scheme.
LAY, noun. A lake.
LAY, adjective. Non-professional; not being a member of an organized institution.
LAY, adjective. Not belonging to the clergy, but associated with them.
LAY, adjective. (obsolete) Not educated or cultivated; ignorant.
LAY, verb. Simple past tense of lie when pertaining to position.
LAY, verb. (proscribed) To be in a horizontal position; to lie (from confusion with lie).
LAY, noun. A ballad or sung poem; a short poem or narrative, usually intended to be sung.
LAY, noun. (obsolete) A meadow; a lea.
LAY, noun. (obsolete) A law.
LAY, noun. (obsolete) An obligation; a vow.
LAY, verb. (Judaism) (transitive) To don (put on) (tefillin (phylacteries)).
LAY, proper noun. A river in western France.
LAY, proper noun. A surname​.
LAY A FINGER ON, verb. (idiomatic) To merely touch
LAY A FINGER ON, verb. If you lay a finger on my little brother, I'll have your guts for garters
LAY A FOUNDATION, verb. (legal) To elicit information from a witness to show that the witness has knowledge of a matter before the witness testifies to the matter itself.
LAY A FOUNDATION, verb. To make a start.
LAY A VENUE, verb. (legal) To allege a place.
LAY ABOUT, verb. To strike blows in all directions.
LAY ABOUT, verb. To set about, with infinitive or gerund.
LAY AN ANCHOR TO THE WINDWARD, verb. To adopt precautionary or anticipatory measures for success or security.
LAY AN EGG, verb. (of a bird or other egg-creating animal) To produce an egg.
LAY AN EGG, verb. (idiomatic) (of a person, organization, etc.) To produce a failure or flop; to do something which is unsuccessful.
LAY BACK, verb. (intransitive) To lie down
LAY BACK, verb. (football) (transitive) To make a short backwards pass to a teammate in an attacking position
LAY BARE, verb. To make bare; strip.
LAY BARE, verb. (figuratively) To expose to view, reveal, uncover.
LAY BARE ONE'S SOUL, verb. Alternative form of bare one's soul
LAY BROTHER, noun. (Christianity) A layman who is a member of a brotherhood without the intention to become a priest.
LAY BY, noun. Alternative form of lay-by
LAY BY, verb. To put away for future use; put aside; store; save; hoard; to build up as savings.
LAY BY, verb. (nautical) (of a sailing vessel) To remain stationary while heading into the wind; to come to a standstill; heave to; lay to.
LAY BY, verb. (Southern and Midland US) To tend (a crop) for the last time, leaving it to mature without further cultivation.
LAY BY THE HEELS, verb. To fetter; to shackle; to imprison.
LAY CHASE, verb. To pursue; to attempt to capture
LAY CLAIM, verb. To say that something belongs to oneself.
LAY DAY, noun. (nautical) A day in which a vessel may load or unload a cargo without paying an extra charge
LAY DAYS, noun. Plural of lay day
LAY DOWN, verb. To give up, surrender, or yield (e.g. a weapon), usually by placing it on the ground.
LAY DOWN, verb. To intentionally take a fall while riding a motorcycle, in order to prevent a more serious collision.
LAY DOWN, verb. To specify, institute, enact, assert firmly, state authoritatively, establish or formulate (rules or policies).
LAY DOWN, verb. To stock, store (e.g. wine) for the future. See also lay by.
LAY DOWN, verb. To sacrifice, especially in the phrase "to lay down one's life."
LAY DOWN, verb. (intransitive) (nonstandard) (proscribed) To lie down; to place oneself in a reclined or horizontal position, on a bed or similar, for the purpose of resting.
LAY DOWN, verb. (nautical) (dated) To draw the lines of a ship's hull at full size, before starting a build.
LAY DOWN, verb. Simple past tense of lie down
LAY DOWN ONE'S FLAG, verb. (reflexive) To surrender or resign, especially in a military context.
LAY DOWN THE LAW, verb. To promulgate law.
LAY DOWN THE LAW, verb. (legal) (dated) To present the law that applies to a given case.
LAY DOWN THE LAW, verb. (idiomatic) To authoritatively or dogmatically assert what is permitted or not permitted.
LAY DOWN THE MARKER, verb. (idiomatic) To set the standard.
LAY EYES ON, verb. (idiom) To see; look at; glimpse
LAY FIGURE, noun. A jointed model of the human body used by artists, or to display clothes.
LAY FIGURE, noun. An unimportant person.
LAY HANDS ON, verb. (idiomatic) To find, obtain or procure.
LAY HANDS ON, verb. (idiomatic) To seize or assault.
LAY HOLD OF, verb. (transitive) To seize; catch; apprehend.
LAY HOLD OF, verb. (transitive) To obtain.
LAY IN, verb. To lay by, to save
LAY IN LAVENDER, verb. To store (clothing, etc.) with sprigs of lavender.
LAY IN LAVENDER, verb. (obsolete) To pawn.
LAY INTO, verb. (colloquial) To beat up.
LAY INTO, verb. (colloquial) To berate; to scold.
LAY INVESTITURE, noun. The appointment of religious officials (commonly bishops) by secular subjects (commonly kings or nobles).
LAY IT ON THICK, verb. (idiomatic) To exaggerate or overstate a feeling or emotion.
LAY IT ON THICK, verb. (idiomatic) To flatter.
LAY IT ON THICK, verb. (idiomatic) To guilt, guilt-trip.
LAY JUDGE, noun. A lay person who acts as (or is) a judge, or who assists a (professional) judge, in a court proceeding (especially in jurisdictions which do not use juries).
LAY JUDGES, noun. Plural of lay judge
LAY LOW, verb. (transitive) (informal) To topple; to cause to fall; (of a person) to knock out.
LAY LOW, verb. (intransitive) (informal) Past tense of lie low.
LAY ODDS, verb. To offer a bet in which one stands more to lose than the opponent; or a bet in some other way favourable to the opponent.
LAY ODDS, verb. To feel certain about something.
LAY OF THE LAND, noun. The physical characteristics of the terrain or surrounding natural environment.
LAY OF THE LAND, noun. (idiomatic) The trends, feelings, intentions, and other factors influencing a strategic, political, or social situation.
LAY OFF, verb. (transitive) (chiefly US) (of an employer) To dismiss (workers) from employment, e.g. at a time of low business volume, often with a severance package.
LAY OFF, verb. (transitive) (of a bookmaker) To place all or part of a bet with another bookmaker in order to reduce risk.
LAY OFF, verb. (transitive) (idiomatic) To cease, quit, stop (doing something).
LAY OFF, verb. (transitive and intransitive) (idiomatic) To stop bothering, teasing, or pestering someone; to leave (someone) alone.
LAY ON, verb. (transitive) (idiomatic) to provide (food or drinks) for free
LAY ON, verb. (transitive) (idiomatic) To repeatedly say (particular things)
LAY ON, verb. To do something excessively.
LAY ON THE LINE, verb. (idiomatic) (transitive) To state strongly, clearly, and accurately.
LAY ON THE LINE, verb. (idiomatic) (transitive) To risk.
LAY ONE'S CARDS ON THE TABLE, verb. Alternative form of put one's cards on the table
LAY ONE'S HANDS ON, verb. Lay hands on
LAY OPEN, verb. (patents) In Japan and South Korea, to publish a patent for initial public review, prior to the formal application for registration.
LAY OUT, verb. To expend
LAY OUT, verb. To arrange in a certain way
LAY OUT, verb. (transitive) to concoct; think up
LAY OUT, verb. To prepare a body for burial.
LAY OUT, verb. (colloquial) To render [someone] unconscious; to knock out; to cause to fall to the floor.
LAY OUT, verb. (intransitive) (US colloquial) To lie in the sunshine.
LAY OVER, verb. (idiomatic) (intransitive) To make an intermediary stop somewhere.
LAY PERSON, noun. Variant of layperson
LAY PREACHER, noun. (religion)A person who is not ordained but is appointed to lead Church services in a religious denomination.
LAY PREACHERS, noun. Plural of lay preacher
LAY READER, noun. (religion) A person who is not ordained but is appointed to lead Church services.
LAY READERS, noun. Plural of lay reader
LAY RUBBER, verb. (idiomatic) (intransitive) (of a vehicle) To accelerate so rapidly from standstill that it leaves a mark of burnt rubber on the road from the tire.
LAY SIEGE, verb. To besiege, to engage in a siege.
LAY SIEGE, verb. (figuratively) To attack continually over a long period.
LAY SOMETHING AT THE FEET OF, verb. (transitive) (idiomatic) To assign responsibility for (something) to (someone).
LAY SPEAKER, noun. (religion) A person who is not ordained but is appointed to lead Church services.
LAY SPEAKERS, noun. Plural of lay speaker
LAY THE GROUNDWORK, verb. (idiomatic) To create a foundation; to provide the basics or fundamentals.
LAY THE PIPE, verb. (idiomatic) To have penetrative sex with a woman.
LAY THE SMACK DOWN, verb. (slang) To start a fight (sometimes with on).
LAY TO REST, verb. (idiomatic) To bury one who has died.
LAY TRACKS, verb. Alternative form of make tracks
LAY UP, verb. (transitive) To store; to put by.
LAY UP, verb. (transitive) To disable.
LAY UP, verb. (transitive) To take out of active service.
LAY UP, verb. (intransitive) To go out of active service.
LAY UP, verb. (transitive) (basketball) To make a layup with (a basketball)
LAY WASTE, verb. (transitive) To completely destroy, especially of a geographical area or region.

Dictionary definition

LAY, noun. A narrative song with a recurrent refrain.
LAY, noun. A narrative poem of popular origin.
LAY, verb. Put into a certain place or abstract location; "Put your things here"; "Set the tray down"; "Set the dogs on the scent of the missing children"; "Place emphasis on a certain point".
LAY, verb. Put in a horizontal position; "lay the books on the table"; "lay the patient carefully onto the bed".
LAY, verb. Prepare or position for action or operation; "lay a fire"; "lay the foundation for a new health care plan".
LAY, verb. Lay eggs; "This hen doesn't lay".
LAY, verb. Impose as a duty, burden, or punishment; "lay a responsibility on someone".
LAY, adjective. Characteristic of those who are not members of the clergy; "set his collar in laic rather than clerical position"; "the lay ministry".
LAY, adjective. Not of or from a profession; "a lay opinion as to the cause of the disease".

Wise words

Much wisdom often goes with fewest words.
Sophocles