1
as in to dump
to get rid of as useless or unwanted
a politician who had laid by his principles years ago
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to store
to put (something of future use or value) in a safe or secret place
ever since the last hurricane caught them unprepared, they have laid by emergency supplies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay by
Verb
-
Smaller ski resorts around the state were made to trust Mother Nature’s timing more than ever, stretching out their operating days as far as possible with the snow dumped by sporadic storms.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
22 May 2026 -
The premiere episode features an enticing premise, where Josh gets dumped for sleeping too long post-hibernation.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Among the few thousand photographs stored in the house, Djena appeared in fewer than forty.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
The vineyard is currently leased to a local winemaker, offering a hands-off approach to production, though the resulting vintages can be stored in the home’s custom wine cellar, which accommodates up to 1,880 bottles.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
In most cases, the sellers' main objective is to discard their unwanted or unused items.—
Rebecca Jones,
Southern Living,
16 May 2026
-
Instead of discarding the sticks of gum Gaff had sampled, the detectives submitted them for forensic testing that resulted in his arrest for the 1984 murder of 42-year-old Judy Weaver.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Police now say that a former boyfriend, 47-year-old Juan Marquez of Hawthorne, lay in wait near her workplace, described on air as Families Together of Orange County.—
Jeff Horseman,
Oc Register,
17 May 2026
-
Michael Dale lay in his Escondido home with a plastic bag wrapped around his head and sealed with duct tape for at least eight minutes as Michaela Rylaarsdam, vibrator in hand, kept the cameras rolling, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in San Diego Superior Court.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Like any good host, Twain kept us on the edge of our seats with multiple wardrobe changes as the show went on, ditching the bangs for a classic curly look.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
-
At the 2023 Genesis Invitational, Rai ditched his own practice regimen to watch his idol, Tiger Woods, play in the pro-am, not caring what others would think about the choice.—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Its side pockets—a rare find in cute dresses—are perfect for stashing your everyday essentials.—
Jasmine Gomez,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
-
Try MyRecipes, our digital recipe box, to stash and organize all your favorite Better Homes & Gardens recipes.—
Kelsey Ogletree,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Perry dropped Diaz with a knee in the closing seconds, unloading uppercuts, elbows and hooks as Diaz tried to bounce away from the fence.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
-
Dahlia, a disillusioned police aide, breaks into the mansion of the corrupt police chief Bernal and steals the money from his safe, unloading the funds to slum dwellers whose settlement Bernal razed down.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
McIlroy twice made birdie on the par 5s after laying up from the trees.—
Doug Ferguson,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
-
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
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.
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20by. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
