1
as in to spread
to put a layer of on a surface
she lays the butter on so thickly that you hardly taste the bagel
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to employ
chiefly British
to provide with a paying job
lay on more staff for the busy tourist season in the Lake District
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay on
Verb
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It is spread through close contact with an infected person, such as through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025 -
If that awareness spreads to other highly tariffed sectors, from furniture to heavy machinery, this administration may unintentionally succeed in unlocking widespread adoption of circularity that has eluded its backers for decades.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But American manufacturing looks very different from five decades ago, when millions of workers were employed to perform specific tasks along assembly lines.—
Joel Williams,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
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Companies that employ geopolitical foresight will be better equipped to navigate disruption and unlock growth opportunities.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The chain embellishment was applied to multiple styles, be in the short pump or a taller slingback, and stood out against different colors.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
22 Oct. 2025
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Use a mop to apply the bleach solution to the floors, covering a small area at a time and working in a figure-eight or side-to-side pattern.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But as multiple advertising world sources note, Apple has hired its fair share of TV and streaming video veterans over the past couple of years, which, when combined with this newfound desire to cut deals to expand Apple TV’s reach, is certainly suggestive of broader ambitions.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Oct. 2025
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As part of its hiring blitz, the agency has dropped age, training and education standards and has offered recruits signing bonuses as high as $50,000.—
J. David McSwane,
ProPublica,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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When state troopers executed a search warrant at a motel where Zajko was staying, law enforcement found LaSota hiding in the bathroom of another room, laying still on the floor, his eyes closed, almost catatonic.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Oct. 2025
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Mayorga laid the groundwork for the Ecuadorian cumbia sound and musicians like Medardo Luzuriaga, who transformed the genre into a national sensation.—
NPR,
NPR,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Revolutionary groups, often recruited from universities and the intelligentsia, were soon carrying out terrorist attacks in the cities.—
Karl Ove Knausgaard,
New Yorker,
21 Oct. 2025
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Ring of Fire Skull recruited Dusty Summers from a club in Las Vegas.—
Keith Sharon,
Nashville Tennessean,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Police entered the home on a welfare check and noticed blood smeared on the walls and furniture scattered across the living room.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
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Just smear fake blood on your face, get gussied up in your finest wedding attire, and make sure to pose throughout the night, your lips hovering just inches away from each other, but never quite touching.—
James Factora,
Them.,
17 Oct. 2025
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Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20on. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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