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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The options are generally to store them, donate them to another patient, dispose of them, or donate them to science.—
Ellen O'Connell Whittet,
TIME,
13 Mar. 2025
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Students at an Australian high school got a thrilling paleontology lesson this week when a researcher confirmed that a rock slab stored on their campus for two decades preserves dozens of dinosaur footprints dating back some 200 million years.—
Leslie Katz,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
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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
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Specifically, 55% of phone buyers in the US – including those who purchase flip phones and basic mobile phones – purchase their device through an installment plan, the firm’s data indicated.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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People should have money stashed in a cash-equivalent account for any liquid needs, including an emergency fund and any potential big purchases coming up.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
7 Mar. 2025
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One is stashing them loose in an unlined drawer, where they’re bound to get damaged or hurt someone.—
Alaina Chou,
Bon Appétit,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Broadway credits include The Band’s Visit (2018), and is directing two Broadway shows this spring: new musical Dead Outlaw and the play Good Night, and Good Luck starring George Clooney.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
17 Mar. 2025
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The key is for American expats to carefully plan their investment and tax strategies before moving abroad, work with advisors who specialize in cross-border planning and take advantage of tax treaties and credits to minimize their overall tax burden.—
Brian Dunhill,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In another scene, Laurie prays again while laying in bed underneath an angel wings cut-out.—
Abby Monteil,
Them,
4 Mar. 2025
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The foundation for the 2025 NFL season is laid in February, March and April.—
Steve Silverman,
Forbes,
22 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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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 23 Mar. 2025.
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