Lay example sentences
Related (12): place, put, recline, rest, position, arrange, spread, deposit, lie, lain, laying, laid
"Lay" Example Sentences
Common Phrases
- lay down
- lay out
- lay off
- lay low
- lay bare
- lay waste to
- lay hands on
- lay the groundwork
- lay it on the line
- lay to rest
- lay siege to
- lay claim to
- lay eyes on
- lay one's cards on the table
Examples by Level
A1
- The cat likes to lay on my bed.
- I lay down after school because I was tired.
- We lay our bags here before we go inside.
A2
- She decided to lay out all her clothes the night before the trip.
- The workers lay the new tiles on the kitchen floor yesterday.
- He told me to lay still while the doctor checked my arm.
B1
- I usually lay awake for hours thinking about things I said years ago.
- The foundation they lay now will determine whether the building lasts fifty years or five.
- She lay there listening to the rain, not bothering to move or check her phone.
B2
- The evidence they lay out in court painted a very different picture from what the media had reported.
- There's something oddly peaceful about lying down in the afternoon and letting yourself lay there without guilt.
- He lay his cards on the table — literally and figuratively — and waited for her reaction.
C1
- The groundwork that previous generations lay determines not just our opportunities but our blindspots.
- To lay bare one's vulnerabilities requires a kind of courage that most people never develop.
- She chose to lay her ambitions aside, not out of defeat, but out of a clearer understanding of what actually mattered.
C2
- What we choose to lay emphasis on reveals far more about our values than any manifesto ever could.
- The artist's decision to lay the canvas horizontally and work from above created an intimacy with the medium that changed everything.
- He had spent decades building a reputation only to lay it down voluntarily — a choice that baffled everyone who knew him.
Examples by Scenario
🏠 Everyday Life
- My kid wants to lay in the hammock all summer and honestly I don't blame him.
- I lay my keys in the same spot every day and still lose them constantly.
- The dog just wants to lay in the sun by the window — that's her whole day.
💼 Workplace
- Before the meeting, she decided to lay out her concerns with the project timeline.
- He tends to lay blame on everyone else when deadlines slip, which makes him fun at team standups.
- We lay the groundwork for the new system in Q1, but nobody's really committed to it yet.
📊 Business
- The company's strategy is to lay the foundation for expansion by acquiring smaller competitors.
- Our marketing team will lay out the campaign proposal to investors next Tuesday.
- They lay significant emphasis on customer retention, which is why their churn rate is so low.
🛒 Buying / Shopping
- I lay out my budget before I go shopping, but I always end up spending more anyway.
- The store decided to lay their winter collection on sale early this year.
- She lay down the credit card and didn't even flinch at the total — must be nice.
✈️ Travel
- We lay our luggage out on the bed to make sure everything fits before we leave.
- The hotel staff will lay out fresh towels every morning if you ask them.
- I lay awake most of the flight, too anxious to sleep on planes.
📚 Education
- The teacher will lay out the assignment requirements at the start of class tomorrow.
- Students often lay their textbooks aside and just use their phones to study.
- He lay his notes on the desk during the exam, which was definitely not allowed.
❤️ Relationships
- After months of tension, she finally decided to lay everything out — all the hurt, all the resentment.
- He lay his head on her shoulder and didn't say anything, which somehow said everything.
- They lay in bed talking about their future together, and for the first time it felt real.
📰 News / Politics
- The investigation will lay bare the extent of corruption within the department.
- Officials lay blame on external factors rather than addressing internal failures.
- The report lay out evidence that contradicted the government's official statement.
💻 Technology
- The app developers lay out the new features in a video that nobody actually watched.
- AI systems lay bare patterns in data that humans would never notice on their own.
- The company decided to lay off a third of their engineering team despite record profits.
📝 Formal Writing
- The study will lay the foundation for future research into climate adaptation strategies.
- Regulations lay out strict guidelines for data protection and privacy compliance.
- The framework lay emphasis on sustainability metrics and long-term environmental impact assessment.