lay on

verb

laid on; laying on; lays on

transitive verb

1
a
: to apply by or as if by spreading on a surface
laying it on thick
b
: provide, arrange
food laid on in abundance
c
: hand out
laid on awards
2
chiefly British : hire

Examples of lay on in a Sentence

she lays the butter on so thickly that you hardly taste the bagel lay on more staff for the busy tourist season in the Lake District

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of lay on was in 1600

Dictionary Entries Near lay on

Cite this Entry

“Lay on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lay%20on. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lay on

verb
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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