lair

1 of 2

noun

ˈler 

1

dialectal British : a resting or sleeping place : bed

2

a

: the resting or living place of a wild animal : den

tracked the bear back to its lair

b

: a refuge or place for hiding

a villain's lair

lair

2 of 2

verb

laired; lairing; lairs

transitive verb

chiefly Scotland : to cause to sink in mire

intransitive verb

chiefly Scotland : wallow

Synonyms

Noun

• concealment
• covert
• den
• hermitage
• hideaway
• hideout
• hidey-hole
• hidy-hole
• nest

Examples of lair in a Sentence

Noun

tracking the bear back to its lair

She runs the project from her private lair in the suburbs.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

From recreating the original wizard’s lair to designing Justin Russo’s new home, take an exclusive look at the sets for the highly anticipated ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ reboot. —Dana Thomas, Architectural Digest, 20 Nov. 2024

The Phantom and Norma are both attention-hungry spiders in glittering lairs; both are fantasists whose faces, either twisted or simply aging, become their obsessive focus. —Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024

Moe, Larry, and Curly are inept repairmen hired to fix a doorbell in a home that turns out to be the secret lair of Nazi spies. —Donald Liebenson, Vulture, 14 June 2024

All who enter the rear lair get the first-class treatment with heat and massage functions and two power-adjustable recliner seats. —Josh Max, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English leger; akin to Old High German legar bed, Old English licgan to lie — more at lie

Verb

Scots lair mire

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1560, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

lair

noun

ˈla(ə)r,

ˈle(ə)r

1

: the den or resting place of a wild animal

2

: refuge sense 1, hideaway