verb
Lay the cloth on the table, then lay the book on top of it
The table was laid for four
Before I can argue my case, I must lay a firm foundation of trust
I'll lay ten to one that you won't be able to move that crate
Did Edward ever succeed in laying that ghost of a rumour that haunted his career for so long?
We have laid our proposal before the board
There is no justification for laying the blame on Leonard
She laid bare the most intimate details of their relationship
She laid down the conditions on which he could return home
I have been trying to lay hold of that book for weeks
We laid into the gang and gave them a sound drubbing
Don't believe what Frank tells you - he really lays it on pretty thick sometimes
lay off
Fifty workers were laid off because business was slack
I wish you'd lay off for a while and stop bothering me. You must lay off phoning your mother twice a day
lay on
The company laid on quite a Christmas party
In addition to enforcing payment of back taxes, they laid on a penalty of 20 per cent
lay out
The art department laid out the advertisements for the new campaign
The salesmen often lay out the money for their expenses and are then reimbursed
He laid out the challenger with a blow to the solar plexus
lay up
We laid up a supply of canned goods for the winter
She has been laid up with a virus all week
adjective
He served as a lay preacher for many years
Members of the lay public did not immediately understand the dangers of the greenhouse effect
noun
Macaulay wrote a book entitled Lays of Ancient Rome
US