to check a ship's forward motion, esp. by bringing the bow into the wind
b.
to lie more or less stationary with the bow to the wind
now usually lie to
See full dictionary entry for lay
All related terms of 'lay to'
lay claim to
to assert one's possession of or right to
lay siege to
to besiege (a city, etc)
lay to rest
to bury (a dead person)
lie to
(of a vessel) to be hove to with little or no swinging
lay waste (to)
to destroy; devastate ; make desolate
lay sb to rest
If you say that someone who has died is laid to rest , you mean that they are buried .
to lay down the law
If you say that someone lays down the law , you are critical of them because they give other people orders and they think that they are always right.
to lay something bare
If you lay something bare , you uncover it completely so that it can then be seen.
to lay down your life
If someone lays down their life for another person, they die so that the other person can live .
to lay claim to something
If you lay claim to something you do not have, you say that it belongs to you.
to lay siege to something
If police , soldiers , or journalists lay siege to a place, they surround it in order to force the people there to come out or give up control of the place.
to lay oneself open to sth
If you lay yourself open to criticism or attack , or if something lays you open to it, something you do makes it possible or likely that other people will criticize or attack you.
to lay it on thick to lay it on
If someone is laying it on thick or is laying it on , they are exaggerating a statement, experience, or emotion in order to try to impress people.
to lay waste lay waste (to) something
If something or someone lays waste an area or town or lays waste to it, they completely destroy it.
to lay something at someone's door
If you lay something at someone's door , you blame them for an unpleasant event or situation .
to lay something to rest put sth to rest
If you lay something such as fears or rumours to rest or if you put them to rest , you succeed in proving that they are not true.
to clap eyes on someone to lay eyes on something to set eyes on something
To clap eyes on someone or something, or set or lay eyes on them, means to see them.
to lay a finger on someone lay a finger on sth
If you say that someone did not lay a finger on a particular person or thing, you are emphasizing that they did not touch or harm them at all.
get one's hands on sth to lay your hands on something
If you get your hands on something or lay your hands on something, you manage to find it or obtain it, usually after some difficulty .
to get your hands on something to lay your hands on something
If you get your hands on something or lay your hands on something, you manage to find it or obtain it, usually after some difficulty .
to put your cards on the table lay one's cards on the table
If you put or lay your cards on the table , you deal with a situation by speaking openly about your feelings, ideas , or plans .