lay on

verb

Definition of lay onnext
1
as in to spread
to put a layer of on a surface she lays the butter on so thickly that you hardly taste the bagel

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to employ
chiefly British to provide with a paying job lay on more staff for the busy tourist season in the Lake District

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay on
  1. spread
  2. employ
  3. apply
  4. hire
  5. lay
  6. recruit
  7. smear
Verb
  • Autumn marks the beginning of the annual flu season, when more people begin to congregate indoors and viruses spread faster.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The predominant suites—all of which have generous outdoor space—are spread across four buildings whose Indonesian names translate to mountain, hill, plateau and valley.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of spread
Verb
  • That expands the number of platforms capable of employing the system during defensive or offensive operations.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
  • His uncertain fate plays out in the present-day imagination of an unnamed curator of unspecified gender, who has been employed by the palace to dress some of its rooms for public viewing in the wake of an undescribed personal tragedy.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of employ
Verb
  • Haynie may have been responding to reports specific to Syracuse, but his response applies to all colleges.
    — Reynald Fasciaux, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Because the workers had troubles, that's why this settlement has been applied.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of apply
Verb
  • The company began ramping up manufacturing and hiring earlier this year.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The film, billed as a biographical dramedy, tells the story of a chaotic boardroom crisis at OpenAI in November 2023, when co-founder Altman was fired and then re-hired at the AI giant.
    — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of hire
Verb
  • Bel was finally laid to rest Saturday in this small southwestern Ohio city.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The researchers say their experiment lays an important foundation for using such fields to investigate molecular chirality.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of lay
Verb
  • To help recruit a younger demographic, Clarins has teamed with Pop Mart to create product packaging featuring an illustrated girl character, named Molly in Paris.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The advisor who ends up on a board wasn’t there to be recruited.
    — Jennifer Hoffmann, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of recruit
Verb
  • Following Tuesday’s baseline dust-up after a foul on Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson confronted a fan, leading Cloud to take to Threads and smear both the Indiana Fever organization and the spectator.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Sweat glistened on the white foundation smeared across her face.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of smear
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

layoffs
lay on
layout
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Cite this Entry

“Lay on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20on. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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