Meaning of lay In English

• 0 to put something in especially a flat or horizontal position, usually carefully or for a particular purpose:

  • She laid the baby on the bed.

  • He laid the tray down on the table.

  • She laid aside her book and went to answer the phone.

  • We're having a new carpet laid in the hall next week.

  • The plan is to lay (= build) the foundations for the new apartments in October.

  • Even the best laid plans go wrong sometimes.

• 1 past simple of lie

• 2 (of an animal or bird) to produce eggs from out of the body:

  • Thousands of turtles drag themselves onto the beach and lay their eggs in the sand.

• 3 to have sex with someone:

  • So did you get laid (= find someone to have sex with)?

• 4 to risk something, usually money, on the result of an event:

  • She won't get the job - I'd lay money on it!

• 5 to express a claim, legal statement, etc. in a serious or official way:

  • She can't accept she made a mistake and now she's trying to lay the blame on (= accuse) her assistant.

  • Do you understand the seriousness of the charge (= legal accusation) that has been laid against you?

  • Two companies have laid claim to the design.

• 6 not trained in or not having a detailed knowledge of a particular subject:

  • From a lay viewpoint the questionnaire is virtually incomprehensible.

• 7 having a position in a religious organization that is not a full-time job and is not paid:

  • a lay preacher

• 8 used to describe how good someone is at sex, or how often they have sex:

  • She's a good lay (= sex with her is enjoyable).

  • She got a reputation as an easy lay (= she was thought to have slept with a lot of people).

• 9 to put something down, esp. into a flat or horizontal position:

  • He laid his coat on a chair.

  • She laid the baby (down) in her crib.

  • We’re having a new carpet laid in the hall next week.

• 10 to prepare something:

  • The initial negotiations laid the groundwork for more detailed talks later on.

• 11 (of an animal or bird) to produce eggs from out of its body

• 12 to risk something on the result of an event:

  • I’ll lay odds (= risk money) that she won’t show up.

• 13 to put or express:

  • He laid emphasis on the fact that he had never been found guilty of a crime.

  • She’s trying to lay the blame on someone else (= blame someone else).

• 14 not trained in or not having a detailed knowledge of a particular subject:

  • To a lay audience, the mathematics would be difficult.

• 15 past simple of lie

• 16 to put something onto a surface or under the ground in a horizontal position:

  • lay a pipe/cable Workmen were digging up the street to lay cables.

  • They prepared the ground, then laid concrete.

• 17 to prepare for doing something or to make it possible for something to happen in the future:

  • lay the basis/foundation/groundwork for sth Perhaps more than anyone, he laid the groundwork for today's digital revolution.

• 18 to bet (= risk) something on the result of an event:

  • lay odds/a wager I'll lay odds that she won't take the job.

• 19 to say that someone or something is responsible for something bad that happened:

  • You can't lay blame on the government for all your troubles.

  • When projects go wrong, everyone looks for somewhere to lay the blame.

• 20 to say that you own something or have a right to it:

  • Through a series of buyouts, we laid claim to the best intellectual property of our time.

• 21 to make something that does not work well or that fails:

  • They laid an egg by putting last decade's technology in that phone.

• 22 not expert in or not having a detailed knowledge of a particular subject:

  • lay person/audience/reader Gadget reviews work best when they use less technical jargon for the lay audience.