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

And so his odyssey eventually brings him right into the lair of the dragon. —Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 13 June 2024

The family half of the hotel, known as Royal Hideaway Corales Suites, is accessed through a subterranean cave that resembles a James Bond-style lair. —William Leigh, theweek, 14 May 2024

While the stop-motion that brings Quetzalcoatl to life is impressive (Q is one of the last kaiju movies to primarily use stop-motion animation before CGI took over), the film almost has more of a slasher-movie vibe, as the dragon attacks New Yorkers out of nowhere and then hides in its lair. —James Grebey, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2024

But Quinnipiac made it to the zenith in college men’s hockey, and their new, lavish players lair is adorned with the trophies and mementos of the national championship season. —Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 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