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
David Moin, WWD, 21 Oct. 2024
The layaway was particular popular among families buying toys during the holiday season.
—David Moin, WWD, 21 Oct. 2024
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
Service fees were charged, but the layaway has been considered a better deal than using a credit card.
—David Moin, WWD, 21 Oct. 2024
The layaway was particular popular among families buying toys during the holiday season.
—David Moin, WWD, 21 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for lay away
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay away
Verb
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After a bit of work scraping out the cocoons, they can be stored in the refrigerator.—
Martha Ann Overland,
NPR,
6 Apr. 2025
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For best freshness for longer, store them stem side down, and do not stack them on top of each other.—
Catherine Jessee,
Southern Living,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Taxpayers often have opportunities to negotiate repayment arrangements or installment plans to avoid immediate refund loss.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
25 Feb. 2025
-
The end of the world is usually dramatized as convulsive and feverish, but population loss is an apocalypse on an installment plan.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Fromm’s maturation also was thwarted by COVID restrictions that led the Bills to stash him off-campus in case Allen or Barkley got sick.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
-
Separate your bills; stash some in your bag, and keep some on your person, either in your shoe, your bra, your pants pockets, or somewhere else secure.—
Louryn Strampe,
Wired News,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Other credits include Big Little Lies, the Oscar-winning Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
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In an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday, Dimon said rising interest rates, sticky inflation, and widening credit spreads are setting the stage for a wave of financial strain among U.S. companies.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The rub lay in a provision of the Basel Convention, which stated that an object sent from one country to another for reuse, rather than disposal, wasn’t waste but a thing of value.—
Scott W. Stern,
The Atlantic,
10 Mar. 2025
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Down below, Tahitian Terrace lay in ruins.—
Hailey Branson-Potts,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 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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While a few noted that the croissant had decent flavor, most were off-put by the lack of color and dough-like texture.—
Jenna Sims,
Southern Living,
15 Dec. 2024
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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
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 20 Apr. 2025.
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