lay: meaning and words from its letters
3 letters · 6 letter points · starts with L · ends with Y
Meaning of lay
verb
- transitive
To place down in a position of rest, or in a horizontal position.
Example: to lay a book on the table; to lay a body in the grave
- transitive
To compel a supernatural entity to cease haunting a place, often by ritual or prayer; to exorcise or banish (a spirit or ghost).
- transitive
To prepare (a plan, project etc.); to set out, establish (a law, principle).
- transitive
To install certain building materials, laying one thing on top of another.
Example: lay brick; lay flooring
Listed forms: lays, laying, laid, glossary, layest.
Source: Wiktionary — lay.
noun
- countable, uncountable
Arrangement or relationship; layout.
Example: the lay of the land
- countable, uncountable
A share of the profits in a business.
Example: While the Pequod lay at Nantucket, Peleg put Ishmael down for the three hundredth lay.
- countable, uncountable
The direction a rope is twisted.
Example: Worm and parcel with the lay; turn and serve the other way.
- colloquial, countable, uncountable
A casual sexual partner.
Example: What was I, just another lay you can toss aside as you go on to your next conquest?
Listed forms: lays.
Source: Wiktionary — lay.
noun
A lake.
Listed forms: lays.
Source: Wiktionary — lay.
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki.org. Selected senses and forms; quotations omitted. Definition text is CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms by meaning
Words are grouped by sense, so they are not necessarily interchangeable in every context. Search synonyms for lay.
adjective
characteristic of those who are not members of the clergy
noun
a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
noun
a narrative poem of popular origin
verb
put into a certain place or abstract location
Open English WordNet Team, 2025, derived from Princeton University WordNet; selected synonym groups under CC BY 4.0. Source · OEWN notice · Princeton notice.
Is lay in our word lists?
| Word list | Status |
|---|---|
| American English | Found |
| British English | Found |
| Extended English | Found |
These are spelling-list matches, not official game validity checks. Check the rules and dictionary used by your game.
Letter-value score of lay
L(1) + A(1) + Y(4) = 6 points.
This is a sum of letter values without board bonuses or word multipliers. A blank tile is worth zero: subtract the value of each letter supplied by a blank. The score does not establish game validity. Full letter-value table.
Anagrams of lay
0 other standard-list words use exactly these letters, including repeated letters.
No other single-word anagram was found in our standard list.
Shorter words from lay
4 shorter standard-list words can be made using no letter more often than it occurs in lay. Showing up to 24, longest first.