as in to store
to put (something of future use or value) in a safe or secret place
the weather forecast warned of a severe storm, so we laid away a generous supply of bottled water and canned food just in case
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in installment plan
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lay away
Tom Hyland, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2021
Mac Schwerin, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2023
Retailers, for their part, created the layaway plan, which allowed consumers to reserve a product in return for a down payment, with further payments made throughout the year.
—Jay L. Zagorsky, The Conversation, 14 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for lay away
Verb
Yet, despite the tannins, Freisa is not a wine to lay away in most examples, but rather one that should be enjoyed early on, often chilled, with soups, seafood or lighter meats.
—Tom Hyland, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2021
Noun
Putting a banh mi on layaway—this is the world that buy-now, pay-later programs have wrought.
—Mac Schwerin, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2023
Retailers, for their part, created the layaway plan, which allowed consumers to reserve a product in return for a down payment, with further payments made throughout the year.
—Jay L. Zagorsky, The Conversation, 14 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for lay away
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay away
Verb
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Wise minds inside any presidential administration would quickly sell every barrel of oil presently stored in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.—
John Tamny,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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Most of that ends up in the Wayback Machine, while the rest is digitized analog media — books, television, radio, academic papers — scanned and stored on servers.—
Emma Bowman,
NPR,
23 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The American dream is buying a set of steak knives on an installment plan at three in the morning.—
John DeVore,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2025
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Another social media user pointed out potential personal finance issues in making installment plans for a food delivery order.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Easy to stash in a purse or beach bag, the stick swivels up so no sharpening is required—nor is a brush.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
18 Mar. 2025
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Some people stash it in inconspicuous places around the house, a habit that experts say can lead to trouble down the line.—
Ana Teresa Solá,
CNBC,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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New sectors have clearly benefited, like the rise of private credit, which at the start of 2024 expanded to 1.5 trillion (from 1 in 2020).—
Alex Lazarow,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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His regional credits include productions at Seattle Rep, Arizona Theatre Company, Artists Repertory, Mark Taper Forum and many others.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
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While telecommunications cables have been laid in trenches 8-km deep, power cables are much thicker and heavier, so placing and even transporting them is more challenging.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
12 Mar. 2025
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For two years, he was chained to his hospital bed without access to any form of entertainment, left to lay in pain and listen to the hum of medical devices.—
Daniel Eduardo Hernandez,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
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He was laid up in bed for five weeks in the summer of 1919 but returned to the job that fall.—
Richard Selcer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Mar. 2025
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Morikawa was laid up 90 yards out, while Henley's approach sailed right of the green.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
10 Mar. 2025
Verb
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When the smoke cleared, leaving stains on the green that didn’t affect their shots, Scheffler, who missed birdie puts by inches on 16 and 17, came up an inch short again on his 26-footer.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
23 June 2024
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Truman answers the questions put by Pearl’s diners.—
Liz Smith,
Vulture,
31 Jan. 2024
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lay away.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20away. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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