lay
verb /leɪ/
/leɪ/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they lay | /leɪ/ /leɪ/ |
| he / she / it lays | /leɪz/ /leɪz/ |
| past simple laid | /leɪd/ /leɪd/ |
| past participle laid | /leɪd/ /leɪd/ |
| -ing form laying | /ˈleɪɪŋ/ /ˈleɪɪŋ/ |
- [transitive] to put somebody/something in a particular position, especially when it is done gently or carefully
- lay somebody/something + adv./prep. He laid a hand on my arm.
- Relatives laid wreaths on the grave.
- She laid the baby down gently on the bed.
- Red roses were laid at the memorial.
- She noticed some paintings laid against the far wall.
- The horse laid back its ears.
- lay something His mother visited the murder scene yesterday to lay flowers.
- lay somebody/something + adj. The cloth should be laid flat.
Which Word? lay / lielay / lie- lay has an object and lie does not
- She was lying on the beach.
- She was laying on the beach.
- Why don't you lie on the bed?
- Why don’t you lay on the bed?
- In the past tenses laid (from lay) is often wrongly used for lay or lain (from lie)
- She had lain there all night.
- She had laid there all night.
- Some people use lay as a noun instead of lie, but this is not considered correct
- If you're tired, go and have a lie down.
- Go and have a lay down.
Extra Examples- He laid the clothes neatly on his bed.
- She laid the child tenderly on the bed.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- carefully
- gently
- neatly
- …
- on
- over
- nicely
- well
- clearly
- …
- [transitive] to spread something on something; to cover something with a layer of something
- lay A on/over B Before they started they laid newspaper on the floor.
- The grapes were laid to dry on racks.
- They carefully laid a blanket over the body.
- B is laid with A The floor was laid with newspaper.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- carefully
- gently
- neatly
- …
- on
- over
- nicely
- well
- clearly
- …
- [transitive] lay something (down) to put something down, especially on the floor, ready to be used
- to lay a carpet/cable/pipe
- to lay tiles/bricks
- The first high-speed track was laid between Paris and Lyons.
- Thirteen U-boats left their base to lay mines in British waters.
- The foundations of the house are being laid today.
- (figurative) A series of short-term goals lays the foundation for long-term success.
- (figurative) They had laid the groundwork for future development.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- carefully
- gently
- neatly
- …
- on
- over
- nicely
- well
- clearly
- …
- [transitive, intransitive] lay (something) if a bird, an insect, a fish, etc. lays eggs, it produces them from its body
- The cuckoo lays its eggs in other birds' nests.
- new-laid eggs
- The hens are not laying well (= not producing many eggs).
- [transitive] lay something (British English) to arrange knives, forks, plates, etc. on a table ready for a meal synonym set
- to lay the table
- [transitive] lay something + adv./prep. to present a proposal, some information, etc. to somebody for them to think about and decide on
- The bill was laid before Parliament.
- [transitive] lay somebody/something + adv./prep. (formal) to put somebody/something in a particular position or state, especially a difficult or unpleasant one synonym place
- to lay a responsibility/burden on somebody
- to lay somebody under an obligation to do something
- Failing to act now will merely lay the burden on future generations.
- [transitive] lay something + adv./prep. used with a noun to form a phrase that has the same meaning as the verb related to the noun
- to lay the blame on somebody (= to blame somebody)
- Our teacher lays great stress on good spelling (= stresses it strongly).
Extra Examples- She laid the blame for the crisis at the Prime Minister's door.
- He laid stress on the importance of cooperation.
- [transitive] lay something to prepare something in detail
- Little did he know they had laid a trap for him.
- She began to lay her plans for her escape.
- Bad weather can upset even the best-laid plans.
- [transitive, usually passive] lay somebody (slang) to have sex with somebody
- He went out hoping to get laid that night.
- [transitive] lay something to prepare a fire by arranging wood, sticks or coal
- [transitive] to bet money on something; to place a bet
- lay something to lay a bet
- lay something on something She had laid $100 on the favourite.
- I think he’ll come, but I wouldn’t lay money on it.
- lay (somebody) something (that)… I’ll lay you any money you like (that) he won’t come.
- past tense of lie1
put down/spread
eggs
table
present proposal
difficult situation
with nouns
plan/trap
have sex
fire
bet
Word Originverb Old English lecgan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch leggen and German legen, also to lie.
Idioms Idioms containing lay are at the entries for the nouns and adjectives in the idioms, for example lay something bare is at bare.