lair

1 of 2

noun

1
dialectal British : a resting or sleeping place : bed
2
a
: the resting or living place of a wild animal : den
tracked the bear back to its lair
b
: a refuge or place for hiding
a villain's lair

lair

2 of 2

verb

laired; lairing; lairs

transitive verb

chiefly Scotland : to cause to sink in mire

intransitive verb

chiefly Scotland : wallow

Examples of lair in a Sentence

Noun tracking the bear back to its lair She runs the project from her private lair in the suburbs.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
All who enter the rear lair get the first-class treatment with heat and massage functions and two power-adjustable recliner seats. Josh Max, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024 Another rebooted tradition: the cast signing the lair, which Gomez and Henrie helped instruct the new actors on during their first days on the set. Julia MacCary, Variety, 21 Oct. 2024 But is the Sanderson sisters' lair actually a real place? Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 8 Oct. 2024 That trip—his seventh and last to North Korea—included a whopping surprise: a previously unknown lair filled with hundreds of centrifuges resembling those used by Pakistan. Byrichard Stone, science.org, 23 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lair 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English leger; akin to Old High German legar bed, Old English licgan to lie — more at lie

Verb

Scots lair mire

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1560, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of lair was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near lair

Cite this Entry

“Lair.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lair. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

lair

noun
ˈla(ə)r,
ˈle(ə)r
1
: the den or resting place of a wild animal
2

More from Merriam-Webster on lair

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