1
as in to spread
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 to employ
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 lay on
Verb
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Vaccination is crucial to preventing the spread of measles, but the WHO says 95% of the population has to be vaccinated in order to stop the disease from spreading.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026 -
The people arrested in Colorado came from more than 80 countries spread across five continents.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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First, movies are workplaces, and Nirenberg’s interviewees reveal the stressful negotiations involved in the daily life of filmmaking—not only with executives and producers but also with directors, who, though employed by those very same businesspeople, are also the immediate bosses of the crew.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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The company soon employed nearly 1,000 workers, but frosts and finally the hurricane of 1926 killed the sugar crops and drove the company away.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Financially Distressed City Law allows home-rule municipalities in the top 5% of tax rates and the bottom 5% of tax income per capita to apply for fiscal relief via a state takeover of finances.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
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The change will not apply to customers who bought tickets before Friday, April 3, the airline said.—
Jordan Freiman,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The relationship healed after Howard was hired as Michigan’s basketball coach in 2019.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
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The invader is a skillful art restorer, Lori Butler (Michaela Coel), who’s been hired by Julian’s greedy children, Barnaby (James Corden) and Sallie (Jessica Gunning), to work, or pose, as their father’s new assistant.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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To lay asphalt, contractors need warmer temperatures, and a final layer wasn’t put down in time for the cold winter season, when asphalt plants close, Brown said.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
6 Apr. 2026
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Even before his diplomatic career officially ended, Arveláiz had begun laying the groundwork for a second act.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Cantens, who has coaching experience in Germany and the Dominican Republic, has had success recruiting internationally.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
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Dintaman and Nolan then recruited Johnson to pose as the victim in person at the state's Department of Treasury's Unclaimed Property Office to get a second copy of the check.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Clearly, the presence of sugar was no deterrent, as the dog appeared to have enthusiastically investigated the fallen bag, emerging with powdered evidence smeared across his face.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said a man hurled pages of the Quran and smeared feces on the door of the mosque.—
Jesse Zanger,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20on. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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