Antonyms for lays down


Grammar : Verb
Spell : ley
Phonetic Transcription : leɪ


Definition of lays down

Origin :
  • Old English lecgan "to place on the ground (or other surface)," also "put down (often by striking)," from Proto-Germanic *lagjanan (cf. Old Saxon leggian, Old Norse leggja, Old Frisian ledza, Middle Dutch legghan, Dutch leggen, Old High German lecken, German legen, Gothic lagjan "to lay, put, place"), causative of lie (v.2). As a noun, from 1550s, "act of laying." Meaning "way in which something is laid" (e.g. lay of the land) first recorded 1819.
  • Meaning "have sex with" first recorded 1934, in U.S. slang, probably from sense of "deposit" (which was in Old English, as in lay an egg, lay a bet, etc.), perhaps reinforced by to lie with, a phrase frequently met in the Bible. The noun meaning "woman available for sexual intercourse" is attested from 1930, but there are suggestions of it in stage puns from as far back as 1767. To lay for (someone) "await a chance at revenge" is from late 15c.; lay low "stay inconspicuous" is from 1839. To lay (someone) low preserves the secondary Old English sense.
  • As in leave : verb forget, neglect
  • As in parlay : verb bet; maneuver
  • As in prescribe : verb stipulate action to be taken
  • As in provide : verb determine, specify
  • As in recline : verb lie down
  • As in record : verb write down; store information
  • As in repose : verb relax; recline
  • As in retreat : verb pull back, go away
  • As in rule : verb judge, decide
  • As in set : verb decide upon
  • As in stipulate : verb decide on conditions
  • As in bet : verb gamble
  • As in bunt : verb hit half-heartedly
  • As in particularize : verb stipulate
  • As in dictate : verb command; give instructions
  • As in enunciate : verb speak clearly
  • As in impose : verb set, dictate
Example sentences :
  • Victorine lays down her implements and places her hands on her hips.
  • Extract from : « Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, December 30, 1914 » by Various
  • Now and then he lays down on me like this, and there's no moving him.
  • Extract from : « Victory » by Joseph Conrad
  • He lays down the empty pipe he has been twirling in his fingers, and obeys her.
  • Extract from : « Despair's Last Journey » by David Christie Murray
  • He lays down his tools when the bell rings and goes home to his family.
  • Extract from : « Dollars and Sense » by Col. Wm. C. Hunter
  • I have no hope that the reader as he lays down my book will exclaim, I know.
  • Extract from : « Sophisms of the Protectionists » by Frederic Bastiat
  • Plato lays down the very "law of least change" which has been described.
  • Extract from : « Myth, Ritual, and Religion, Vol. 1 » by Andrew Lang
  • Does he bring his own works to the test of the principles he lays down?
  • Extract from : « Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 54, No. 334, August 1843 » by Various
  • Dont forget, Blessed is he who lays down his life for his friend.
  • Extract from : « The Duel » by A. I. Kuprin
  • But the principle he lays down is that, by which I wish to be tried.
  • Extract from : « Studies on Homer and the Homeric Age, Vol. 1 of 3 » by W. E. Gladstone
  • (lays down his hat and fumbles agitatedly in his breast-pocket).
  • Extract from : « Votes for Women » by Elizabeth Robins

Synonyms for lays down

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019