lain

verb

Definition of lainnext
past participle of lie
1
as in gone
to be positioned along a certain course or in a certain direction the train tracks lie just over that hill

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in been
to occupy a place or location I left the book lying on the counter

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in hidden
to remain out of sight paparazzi were lying in wait outside the restaurant, a well-known celebrity hangout

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lain
  1. gone
  2. been
  3. extended
  4. sat
  5. led
  6. run
Verb
  • Over the past six months, Ella Langley has gone from country-music famous to being a household name.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Many Californians have already gone ahead in the legal gray area, purchasing the panels online and plugging them in.
    — Blanca Begert, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of gone
Verb
  • Naperville residents who’ve been unable to use Book Road for most of the year will see a little relief once the stretch between 75th and 83rd streets reopens by month’s end.
    — Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Some of the greatest shows on Earth these days are coming from the road warriors who’ve been out there the longest.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of been
Verb
  • Georgia and Ohio temporarily suspended state taxes on gasoline and regular diesel, while Indiana extended its suspension on gasoline sales taxes.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Kaʻimi Fairbairn's 39-yard field goal on Houston's next drive extended the lead to 13-6.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of extended
Verb
  • This fine establishment has sat at the same address in the Williamsburg Bridge's shadow since 1887, and the interiors carry about as many frills as your average public house—dark wood, plaster walls, and so on.
    — Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Dec. 2025
  • The birthday boy and his big sister Sterling Skye, 3, each sat between one of their parents’ laps.
    — Angel Saunders, People.com, 24 Dec. 2024
Definition of sat
Verb
  • This led mathematicians to suspect that the odd values were also likely irrational.
    — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Kosovo has criticized the verdicts as unjust, maintaining that the KLA, which Thaci had led before entering politics, fought against Serbian oppression.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of led
Verb
  • On Wednesday, the evening before they were set to dock, the mood seemed far more jovial aboard the ship; sailors were chatting and laughing, some were running a 5K around a deck now free of aircraft.
    — Mosheh Gains, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2026
  • He was hired by Italy’s Agnelli family to run Fiat in 2004 when, due to previous mismanagement and the recession, few in the auto industry believed it could be saved.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of run
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.

Browse Nearby Words

laid up
lain
lain (down)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lain. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of inscrutable

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All