The confusion between the two words is largely due to the fact thatlayis also the past tense form of this sense oflie, as inI lay in bed yesterday morning wishing I could go back to sleep. The other tenses of this sense ofliearelain, as inI have lain in bed for the past three hou...
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lay entry 1 + boy; probably from the fact that this work was formerly done by a boy The Ultimate Dictionary Awaits Expand your vocabulary and dive deeper into language with Merriam-Webster Unabridged. Expanded definitions Detailed etymologies Advanced search tools All ad-free Discover what makes...
Meaning: to leave things where they are (metaphorically), especially if taking an action would create a controversy. The fact that I hurt Marc’s feelings is going to lie heavy on me. Meaning: to make me uncomfortable.Laying vs. Lying...
The confusion between the two words is largely due to the fact that lay is also the irregular past tense form of this sense of lie, as in I lay in bed yesterday morning wishing I could go back to sleep. (In contrast, when lie is used as a verb meaning to tell an untruth, its pa...
1. ‘Lay’ Versus‘Lie’ in the Present Tense First, we’ll do the easy part, which is the present tense. If you exclude the meaning “to tell an untruth” and just focus on the setting/reclining meaning of “lay” and “lie,” then the important distinction is that “lay” requir...
"act or fact of laying out (especially money) or expending; that which is laid out or expended," 1798, originally Scottish, fromout-+lay(v.). overlay(v.) "to cover the surface of (something)," c. 1300, in part from Old Englishoferlecgan"to place over," also "to overburden," an...
In fact, it does matter. Using an incorrect form increases the risk of misunderstanding at best, and it may make you sound uneducated. The difference between “lie” and “lay” is actually not so hard to understand: to lay something somewhere = to put something somewhere to lie somewhere ...
English language users have long struggled with lie, meaning "to recline," and lay, meaning "to put down." This is in part because the past tense form of this lie is, well, lay and the past participles of the verbs are very similar. It would help if the "to recline" lie were ...
something that wassecrethistorical writing which seeks to lay bare the true nature of an event→bareExamples from the Corpuslay something bare•Thedepthof the problem islaid barein the fact that 40% of 18- to 25- year-olds areunemployed.•The excavationlaid barethestreetsof theancientcity....