1
as in to dump
to get rid of as useless or unwanted
a politician who had laid by his principles years ago
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to store
to put (something of future use or value) in a safe or secret place
ever since the last hurricane caught them unprepared, they have laid by emergency supplies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay by
Verb
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In a class-action suit, originally launched in 1993, the Cofán accused Texaco of dumping 18 billion gallons of oily wastewater across their ancestral lands between 1964 and 1990.—
Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
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The novel follows children’s librarian Daphne after her fiancé, Peter, dumps her for his childhood best friend, Petra.—
Verb
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Rather than storing all of your cleaning supplies in one central cabinet, use a caddy to keep some cleaning supplies and tools in each bathroom.—
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Instead of storing the marbles from your childhood in a bin in your closet, put them in a jar on your bookshelf.—
Verb
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Reserve the smooth strained mixture and discard any solids.—
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Health inspectors cite the bagel shop after the half-and-half at the customer self-service counter was not discarded at the appropriate time.—
Verb
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Another affinity between the Romanians and the Iraqis lay in the fact that both knew the difficulties of living under a dictatorship.—
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Everyone knew what future lay in store for the bottom 10 percent.—
Verb
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Shortly after the pursuit began, the suspects ditched the car in the 11100 block of Archwood Place and ran away from the officers.—
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That includes a public stop at a Florida Steak ‘n Shake in March after the chain ditched vegetable oil for beef tallow.—
Verb
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Best to keep backups of all of that data stashed, cached, and out of harm’s way—and space makes an ideal safe deposit box.—
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Various zippered pockets inside the front flap are great for stashing smaller essentials, and a front pocket can fit a 13-inch laptop.—
Verb
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Even listening to a favorite song and dancing around the kitchen while unloading the dishwasher can become a beloved family ritual—just think about what brings your family joy, and go from there.—
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State officials said the flatbed was owned by J and A Towing, a business in Belding, Michigan, and that Greenville Steel was not involved in unloading the forklift.—
Verb
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The only time the Fitzgerald made it to its homeport of Milwaukee was when the ship was laid up during the 1959 steel strike, from June to October.—
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Female moths can lay up to 500 eggs at a time.7 Pantry moths are most destructive in their larval stage, so discouraging this stage will help prevent the infestation from spreading.—
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Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20by. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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