as in to store
to put (something of future use or value) in a safe or secret place
be sure to lay in enough food for the long Alaska winter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lay in
Within a day, their headquarters near Tehran’s Azadi Stadium lay in ruins.
—
Richard Goldberg, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
The patient lay in an operating room at St Bernard's Hospital.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Rose gobbled it up, lay in my arms and not long after was at rest.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 3 Mar. 2026
The second fragment of fabric (Tx2) lay in a large domestic house—also destroyed by fire—which contained six rooms lined with storage vessels and clay chests.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lay in
Richard Goldberg, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
The patient lay in an operating room at St Bernard's Hospital.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Rose gobbled it up, lay in my arms and not long after was at rest.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 3 Mar. 2026
The second fragment of fabric (Tx2) lay in a large domestic house—also destroyed by fire—which contained six rooms lined with storage vessels and clay chests.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lay in
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay in
Verb
-
The first is whether a geofence is covered by the Fourth Amendment at all, and second is whether the millions of people who voluntarily signed up to have their location data stored for them essentially gave up any right to privacy.—
Nina Totenberg,
NPR,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Maintained by a team of a dozen full-time florists, the flowers for the ceremony were stored in a giant walk-in refrigerator and were delivered to the set all in one day to avoid them sitting out in the sun.—
Zoe Papelis,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This is a smart way to stash and develop a player who could pair with kicker Will Reichard for years to come.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Winston Porter’s storage bench helps tidy things up while adding functional seating, with a generous 80-gallon capacity to stash everything from extra cushions to seasonal decor.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But thanks to their reproductive vigor — females can lay up to 25,000 eggs in a single season — their numbers quickly hopped out of hand.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Summit's Javon Ross (33) lays up a ball as Lovejoy's Maddox Johnson (2) defends in the second half of a high school basketball game, Class 5A Division II state semifinal, at SUM’s Moody Coliseum, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in University Park.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Mar. 2026
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay in.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20in. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
