1
as in to enact
to put into effect through legislative or authoritative action
the city council promises to lay down new ordinances that will force dog walkers to clean up after their animals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to declare
to state clearly and strongly
at the risk of their popularity, the parents laid down the rules for the party and wouldn't accept any arguments
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to specify
to give the rules about (something) clearly and exactly
the supervisor laid down the procedure for a complaint of sexual harassment
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to relinquish
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress
commanded the surrounded troops to lay down their weapons
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lay down
Then my sister lay down next to me.
—
NPR, 26 Nov. 2025
Millions of Russian men, unwilling to take on lower-status work, lay down on the couch and took to drink.
—Julia Ioffe, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
Second, disassociate from Hamas and other terrorist groups, including Iran, lay down all arms, and come to the table with a plan to live in harmony with Israel.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2025
Hamas fighters who lay down their arms will also be given amnesty and allowed to leave Gaza under the plan.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay down
NPR, 26 Nov. 2025
Millions of Russian men, unwilling to take on lower-status work, lay down on the couch and took to drink.
—Julia Ioffe, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
Second, disassociate from Hamas and other terrorist groups, including Iran, lay down all arms, and come to the table with a plan to live in harmony with Israel.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2025
Hamas fighters who lay down their arms will also be given amnesty and allowed to leave Gaza under the plan.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay down
Verb
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No waiver is in place for the 2026-27 academic year, however, so a final year of college basketball for Buchanan will hinge on whether something similar will be enacted again for non-NCAA transfers.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Apr. 2026
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In setting new standards for the film-and-television industry, while also raising wages and benefits, this agreement was precisely the sort of thing Dube is advocating for other sectors to adopt, even though it was enacted through collective bargaining rather than by government action.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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California declared a moratorium on offshore-drilling projects.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
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But Roosevelt later declared his time there a glorious period of strenuous living and personal rebirth.—
Beverly Gage,
The Atlantic,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
No back orders, unless specified by the individual vendor.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
In the European Union, companies cannot unilaterally change the terms of a contract without providing proper justification specified in advance of those provisions taking effect.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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If the pair are Shea’s biological parents, Score and Mills would like to learn more about them — but not necessarily relinquish custody of Shea, Hatfield said.—
Elizabeth Chuck,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
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In their eyes, the global economy is to blame for their unsatisfactory job prospects, feminism is to blame for their failures with women, minority rights are forcing them to relinquish their privilege as straight men, and so on.—
Miriam Eve Mora,
The Conversation,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In 2020, the Legislature passed a law barring trans women and girls from participating in women’s and girls sports.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
1 Apr. 2026
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The measure passed, 363–117, killing the death penalty in France.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Trump has asserted himself as the nation's top law enforcer in his second term, personally directing the attorney general and other top officials on whom to investigate and whom to prosecute.—
Devin Dwyer,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
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The founders, who included Altman, Sutskever, Brockman, and Elon Musk, asserted that artificial intelligence could be the most powerful, and potentially dangerous, invention in human history, and that perhaps, given the existential risk, an unusual corporate structure would be required.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Sound design—the particular timbre of a bass drum or a synth sweep—often defines the identity of a track.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
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That shop, Orange County Drum & Percussion, better known as OCDP, would go on to define the look and sound of a generation of alternative rock drummers.—
Jeff Miller,
Rolling Stone,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Gulf nations are highly reliant on desalination for fresh water, and damage to the region’s hundreds of plants could render its major cities unlivable, The Associated Press reported; attacks by any side could constitute war crimes.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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The fresh precipitation had rendered the thin roads above Lake Tahoe almost indistinguishable from the frosted forests around them.—
Namir Khaliq,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20down. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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