1
as in applying
to put a layer of on a surface
she lays the butter on so thickly that you hardly taste the bagel
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in employing
chiefly British
to provide with a paying job
lay on more staff for the busy tourist season in the Lake District
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laying on
Verb
-
The review process is expected to take 18 months and is part of a two-step process, which also includes applying for an operating license.—
Pippa Stevens,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2026 -
Girod noted that by applying for relief, Guerra Sandoval was giving the government all her personal information — even fingerprints.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Saint Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury is employing a PCR thermocycler that cuts the time to get a diagnosis from days to just merely hours.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2026
-
If tax records and documents do not add up, employers and employees may be arrested and detained as investigators sort out who is illegally present in the United States or illegally employing workers.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Experimentation is spreading across Asia.—
Catherine Thorbecke,
Twin Cities,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Reznik said while the San Gabriel River system and adjacent spreading grounds, stretching from Irwindale to Long Beach, work exceptionally well, capturing 90% of the local runoff that percolates into underground basins for later use, that’s not true of some other waterways in the county.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Then last June, the Nuggets snatched Wallace back from Minnesota, hiring him as their new co-general manager alongside his friend Ben Tenzer — another longtime Connelly disciple who’d been a steady hand behind the scenes in Denver’s front office since 2013.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The proposals also call for hiring consultants and requiring regular reports on the transition.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In 2012, the gossip site Gawker, infamous for smearing conservative activists, published embarrassing footage of Hogan that had been secretly recorded and had no legitimate news value.—
George Harris,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The pigment lasts all day without smearing.—
Catharine Malzahn,
Glamour,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The teens were also said to have been involved in online groups recruiting fighters for IS militants in Syria and shared a fascination with violence and hatred against Jews, LGBTQ+ people and others, officials said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Uldricks said his role as GOP chair includes recruiting good people to run for office.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
By securing this agreement, Hyundai Heavy Industries is laying the groundwork for further involvement in the energy sector.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
-
However, the warring parties failed to start second round of talks in Islamabad this week, laying bare key sticking points to a definitive resolution to the fighting.—
Alayna Treene,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The two candidates, who have been leading Republicans in previous polling, spend much of their political capital taking on one another in hopes of avoiding a runoff race.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2026
-
But Fuqua’s Hannibal is recognizably Black—an African insurgent taking on a European empire.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Laying on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laying%20on. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
