lay down

verb

laid down; laying down; lays down

transitive verb

1

: to give up : surrender

lay down your arms

2

a

: establish, prescribe

lay down a scale for a map

b

: to assert or command dogmatically

lay down the law

3

a

: store, preserve

laid down a young wine

b

: record

laying down songs for their new album

4

a

: to direct toward a target

lay down a barrage

b

: to hit along the ground

laid down a sacrifice bunt

intransitive verb

nonstandard : to lie down

Synonyms

• constitute
• enact
• legislate
• make
• ordain
• pass

Examples of lay down in a Sentence

the city council promises to lay down new ordinances that will force dog walkers to clean up after their animals

at the risk of their popularity, the parents laid down the rules for the party and wouldn't accept any arguments

Recent Examples on the Web

After a while a couple of the wolves laid down for a few minutes, again showing they were not being disturbed by our presents. —Stan Tekiela, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2025

For Mahomes, that meant a chance to really lay down the law about who was in charge in the NFL now. —Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 5 Feb. 2025

At one point, the video shows the man unbuckling his seatbelt and laying down in the back seat, before an officer, later identified as Harris, opens the door and begins allegedly punching and elbowing the man's head repeatedly. —Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2025

If the Nuggets were the kind of team that laid down, Wednesday’s game would have been over in the first quarter, after the Knicks jumped out to an 18-6 lead five minutes into the opening period. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 29 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Video

Lay vs. Lie

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.

Kids Definition

lay down

verb

1

: establish sense 1, prescribe

lay down standards

2

: to state or declare forcefully

lay down the law