1
as in to enact
to put into effect through legislative or authoritative action
the city council promises to lay down new ordinances that will force dog walkers to clean up after their animals
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2
as in to declare
to state clearly and strongly
at the risk of their popularity, the parents laid down the rules for the party and wouldn't accept any arguments
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3
as in to specify
to give the rules about (something) clearly and exactly
the supervisor laid down the procedure for a complaint of sexual harassment
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4
as in to relinquish
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress
commanded the surrounded troops to lay down their weapons
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of lay down
Marty Sakata laying down a fresh layer of chalk on the field with a historical chalk liner.
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Emilie Ikeda, NBC News, 29 Oct. 2024
The band laid down a familiar melody, but his solo took us on an unexpected journey with bold, unexpected twists.
—Ariel Katz, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
This past spring, parent company Walmart laid down the law under no uncertain terms.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024
Smith laid down the initial recordings, then sent the files to the Lips, who provided the backing instrumentation.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lay down 
Emilie Ikeda, NBC News, 29 Oct. 2024
The band laid down a familiar melody, but his solo took us on an unexpected journey with bold, unexpected twists.
—Ariel Katz, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
This past spring, parent company Walmart laid down the law under no uncertain terms.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024
Smith laid down the initial recordings, then sent the files to the Lips, who provided the backing instrumentation.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lay down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay down
Verb
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He’s promised to enact even stricter border policies if elected, including mass arrests and deportations of undocumented migrants.Sara Dorn, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
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The consent decree was enacted because a court found that minority voting power in the district was diluted.Madeleine Parrish, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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The virus’ spread prompted the World Health Organization in August to declare a public health emergency of international concern, particularly as the virus spread to several other neighboring countries in Africa.Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 17 Nov. 2024
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Edgewell's board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.15 per common share, payable on January 8, 2025, to shareholders of record as of December 3, 2024.Quartz Bot, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
Verb
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However, the application does not specify where filming will take place in the Queen City.Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 6 Nov. 2024
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The data doesn't specify voters' party affiliations.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Trowbridge choosing not to relinquish his premiership keeps Dennison from advancing in government, and is Trowbridge’s commitment to anyone really rock solid?Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
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Ocean’s marketplace model allows data owners to monetize their information without relinquishing control.Tonya Evans, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Since your hand is a minimum and an 11-trick club game is far away, pass.Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024
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Sometime later, a passing pipeline company worker pulled the vehicle from the ditch.Ryan J. Foley, Twin Cities, 16 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Those settlements show another, quieter front in China’s expanding efforts to assert its control over disputed, peripheral territories – also playing out in the South and East China Seas – as Chinese leader Xi Jinping seeks to bolster national security and enhance China’s position over its rivals.Simone McCarthy, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
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While Venu’s backers have promoted the service as being something new, the lower court asserted that the concept was actually not new, and was also merely an aggregation of 15 linear network feeds.Dade Hayes, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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The top-line equipment list is complemented by elements that define luxury.James Raia, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024
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Trump’s first administration, which included two impeachments, was defined by his penchant for smashing norms.Stephen Engelberg, ProPublica, 6 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Gaming performance is solid and the 15.6-inch display renders gameplay in crisp 1080p.Jade Chung-Lee, PCMAG, 11 Nov. 2024
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Over the past decade, scientists and researchers discovered that the same Nvidia chip designs that could render polygons and computer graphics were ideal for the kind of parallel processing needed for AI.Kif Leswing, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Lay down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20down. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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