lay down
verb
laid down; laying down; lays down
1
: to give up : surrender
lay down your arms
2
4
a
: to direct toward a target
lay down a barrage
b
: to hit along the ground
laid down a sacrifice bunt
nonstandard
: to lie down
Examples of lay down in a Sentence
the city council promises to lay down new ordinances that will force dog walkers to clean up after their animals
at the risk of their popularity, the parents laid down the rules for the party and wouldn't accept any arguments
Recent Examples on the Web
Moore, whose family moved around a lot before laying down some roots in hockey-mad Toronto, gave his own self-scout.
—
Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 28 June 2025
Think of it as slowly laying down one small act of connection at a time.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Newman and a contract orchestra assembled on the Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage, the pop temple on the old MGM lot where Garland laid down her vocals with composer Herbert Stothart.
—Tim Greiving, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2025
The grass will be synthetic with 124,000 square feet set to be laid down with this field using the same surface as the Blue Jays in Toronto.
—Teresa M. Walker, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay down
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Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 28 June 2025
Think of it as slowly laying down one small act of connection at a time.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Newman and a contract orchestra assembled on the Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage, the pop temple on the old MGM lot where Garland laid down her vocals with composer Herbert Stothart.
—Tim Greiving, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2025
The grass will be synthetic with 124,000 square feet set to be laid down with this field using the same surface as the Blue Jays in Toronto.
—Teresa M. Walker, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for lay down
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lay%20down. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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