See lay low in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
Download JSON data for lay low meaning in English (6.6kB)
{
"etymology_number": 1,
"forms": [
{
"form": "lays low",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "laying low",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "laid low",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "laid low",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "lays low",
"2": "laying low",
"3": "laid low"
},
"expansion": "lay low (third-person singular simple present lays low, present participle laying low, simple past and past participle laid low)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"text": "He was laid low by a vicious blow to the head."
},
{
"ref": "1937, J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit",
"text": "The dragon's ire, more fierce than fire, laid low their towers and houses frail.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To topple or overcome; to cause to fall; (of a person) to knock out."
],
"id": "en-lay_low-en-verb-3vrFMinQ",
"links": [
[
"topple",
"topple"
],
[
"overcome",
"overcome"
],
[
"fall",
"fall"
],
[
"knock out",
"knock out"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To topple or overcome; to cause to fall; (of a person) to knock out."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1979 April 28, Nancy Walker, “A Case of Mistaken Identity”, in Gay Community News, page 19",
"text": "My lover had remained in New York with her family because she had picked up the plague, or something just as bad, that had laid her quite low.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To put in an abject condition."
],
"id": "en-lay_low-en-verb-88PQLdu5",
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To put in an abject condition."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
}
],
"word": "lay low"
}
{
"etymology_number": 2,
"forms": [
{
"form": "lays low",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "laying low",
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"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "laid low",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "laid low",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "lay low",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "lay low",
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"past"
]
}
],
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"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "4 5 43 47",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1904, A Committee of the Survivors, History of the Twelfth Regiment, Rhode Island Volunteers, in The Civil War, page 219",
"text": "We lay low until the shell went over and then would straighten up again.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1909, “Field and Stream”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), volume 14, page 540",
"text": "Me and Dave layed low until then, and I guess the whole dummed town was at Philemon's that night.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1911, Augusta Prescott, The Stairway on the Wall, page 259",
"text": "Under you drop, and you work yourself along until you come to the partition between the two rooms; there you'll find a secret chamber; it isn't big enough for more than one person at a time, but there's a cot in it and you can lay low.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1917, Conrad Cato, The Navy in Mesopotamia 1914 to 1917, page 8",
"text": "As for the Turk , he played his old game of Brer Rabbit, laying low, until the three launches came nicely round the bend into a direct line of fire.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1969, Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel, “The Boxer”, Bridge over Troubled Water, Columbia Records",
"text": "Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters\nWhere the ragged people go"
},
{
"ref": "1997, Richard Herschlag, Brian Harris, Lay Low and Don't Make the Big Mistake, page 84",
"text": "Since you are trying to lay low, your effort should take the form of a suggestion at the least or a modest proposal at the most.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2007, Ann Pancake, Strange as this Weather Has Been, page 100",
"text": "I laid low until the boys and Chancey went off somewhere, then I snuck up the road and stopped at the gate.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2012, Mitt Romney, Timothy Robinson, Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership, and the Olympic Games",
"text": "Bennett believed that he would lay low for a few years before bringing out another team of terrorists.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2012, Jane Dews, The Cuckoo's Song, page 18",
"text": "In the meantime, he would lay low—not make waves if he could help it. He was good at not attracting attention.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2013, Elizabeth A. Laugeson, The PEERS® Curriculum for School Based Professionals",
"text": "Say, “The first step for changing a reputation is to lay low. This means you need to keep a low profile for a while and not draw attention to yourself. This will give your reputation a chance to die down before you try to make friends.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2013, Robert Preston, A Dream To Kill",
"text": "Jessie needed time to let things die down and decided to lay low.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2014, Thomas A. Whiting Jr., The Secrets That We Keep",
"text": "Richie, I know you don't like people telling you what to do and all but I think you should lay low until we can figure this thing out.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2014, James Pickett Jones, Yankee Blitzkrieg: Wilson's Raid through Alabama and Georgia, page 138",
"text": "We layed low until after dark, then mounted without the bugle sound.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To lie low, to be inconspicuous, especially when the potential object of search."
],
"id": "en-lay_low-en-verb-r2AeCAwm",
"links": [
[
"lie low",
"lie low"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(informal, sometimes proscribed) To lie low, to be inconspicuous, especially when the potential object of search."
],
"tags": [
"informal",
"proscribed",
"sometimes"
]
}
],
"word": "lay low"
}
{
"etymology_number": 3,
"head_templates": [
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"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "verb form"
},
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"name": "head"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "4 5 43 47",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"form_of": [
{
"word": "lie low"
}
],
"glosses": [
"simple past of lie low"
],
"id": "en-lay_low-en-verb-GNEaEZZZ",
"links": [
[
"lie low",
"lie low#English"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"sense": "to remain hidden",
"word": "lie low"
}
],
"tags": [
"form-of",
"past"
]
}
],
"word": "lay low"
}
{
"categories": [
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English non-lemma forms",
"English verb forms",
"English verbs"
],
"etymology_number": 1,
"forms": [
{
"form": "lays low",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "laying low",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "laid low",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "laid low",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "lays low",
"2": "laying low",
"3": "laid low"
},
"expansion": "lay low (third-person singular simple present lays low, present participle laying low, simple past and past participle laid low)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English transitive verbs",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "He was laid low by a vicious blow to the head."
},
{
"ref": "1937, J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit",
"text": "The dragon's ire, more fierce than fire, laid low their towers and houses frail.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To topple or overcome; to cause to fall; (of a person) to knock out."
],
"links": [
[
"topple",
"topple"
],
[
"overcome",
"overcome"
],
[
"fall",
"fall"
],
[
"knock out",
"knock out"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To topple or overcome; to cause to fall; (of a person) to knock out."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English transitive verbs"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1979 April 28, Nancy Walker, “A Case of Mistaken Identity”, in Gay Community News, page 19",
"text": "My lover had remained in New York with her family because she had picked up the plague, or something just as bad, that had laid her quite low.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To put in an abject condition."
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To put in an abject condition."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
}
],
"word": "lay low"
}
{
"categories": [
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English non-lemma forms",
"English verb forms",
"English verbs"
],
"etymology_number": 2,
"forms": [
{
"form": "lays low",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "laying low",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "laid low",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "laid low",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "lay low",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "lay low",
"tags": [
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "lays low",
"2": "laying low",
"3": "laid low",
"past2": "lay low"
},
"expansion": "lay low (third-person singular simple present lays low, present participle laying low, simple past and past participle laid low or lay low)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English informal terms",
"English proscribed terms",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1904, A Committee of the Survivors, History of the Twelfth Regiment, Rhode Island Volunteers, in The Civil War, page 219",
"text": "We lay low until the shell went over and then would straighten up again.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1909, “Field and Stream”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), volume 14, page 540",
"text": "Me and Dave layed low until then, and I guess the whole dummed town was at Philemon's that night.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1911, Augusta Prescott, The Stairway on the Wall, page 259",
"text": "Under you drop, and you work yourself along until you come to the partition between the two rooms; there you'll find a secret chamber; it isn't big enough for more than one person at a time, but there's a cot in it and you can lay low.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1917, Conrad Cato, The Navy in Mesopotamia 1914 to 1917, page 8",
"text": "As for the Turk , he played his old game of Brer Rabbit, laying low, until the three launches came nicely round the bend into a direct line of fire.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1969, Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel, “The Boxer”, Bridge over Troubled Water, Columbia Records",
"text": "Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters\nWhere the ragged people go"
},
{
"ref": "1997, Richard Herschlag, Brian Harris, Lay Low and Don't Make the Big Mistake, page 84",
"text": "Since you are trying to lay low, your effort should take the form of a suggestion at the least or a modest proposal at the most.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2007, Ann Pancake, Strange as this Weather Has Been, page 100",
"text": "I laid low until the boys and Chancey went off somewhere, then I snuck up the road and stopped at the gate.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2012, Mitt Romney, Timothy Robinson, Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership, and the Olympic Games",
"text": "Bennett believed that he would lay low for a few years before bringing out another team of terrorists.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2012, Jane Dews, The Cuckoo's Song, page 18",
"text": "In the meantime, he would lay low—not make waves if he could help it. He was good at not attracting attention.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2013, Elizabeth A. Laugeson, The PEERS® Curriculum for School Based Professionals",
"text": "Say, “The first step for changing a reputation is to lay low. This means you need to keep a low profile for a while and not draw attention to yourself. This will give your reputation a chance to die down before you try to make friends.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2013, Robert Preston, A Dream To Kill",
"text": "Jessie needed time to let things die down and decided to lay low.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2014, Thomas A. Whiting Jr., The Secrets That We Keep",
"text": "Richie, I know you don't like people telling you what to do and all but I think you should lay low until we can figure this thing out.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2014, James Pickett Jones, Yankee Blitzkrieg: Wilson's Raid through Alabama and Georgia, page 138",
"text": "We layed low until after dark, then mounted without the bugle sound.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To lie low, to be inconspicuous, especially when the potential object of search."
],
"links": [
[
"lie low",
"lie low"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(informal, sometimes proscribed) To lie low, to be inconspicuous, especially when the potential object of search."
],
"tags": [
"informal",
"proscribed",
"sometimes"
]
}
],
"word": "lay low"
}
{
"categories": [
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English non-lemma forms",
"English verb forms"
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"etymology_number": 3,
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"1": "en",
"2": "verb form"
},
"expansion": "lay low",
"name": "head"
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],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
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{
"word": "lie low"
}
],
"glosses": [
"simple past of lie low"
],
"links": [
[
"lie low",
"lie low#English"
]
],
"tags": [
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]
}
],
"synonyms": [
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"sense": "to remain hidden",
"word": "lie low"
}
],
"word": "lay low"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
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