lair

1 of 2

noun

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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
There are a few shelves of bottles with pipettes in them, like the lair of some sort of mad apothecary. Nick Miller, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025 Along the way, viewers will get a better look at Muse’s aforementioned lair, which became quite an attraction even for those who worked on the series. Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 21 Mar. 2025 Time after time, your off-brand chocobo will deliver you to a monster's lair for a perfunctory pummeling while your companions spout exposition. James Perkins Mastromarino, NPR, 14 Mar. 2025 The store’s back room now resembles a stylish villain lair from a James Bond film with its moody lighting and minimal interiors. Hikmat Mohammed, WWD, 20 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lair

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of lair was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lair.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lair. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

lair

noun
ˈla(ə)r,
ˈle(ə)r
1
: the den or resting place of a wild animal
2

More from Merriam-Webster on lair

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