lay-by

[ley-bahy]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

British.��(on a road or railroad) a place beside the main road or track where vehicles may wait.
Nautical.��a mooring place in a narrow river or canal, formed to one side so as to leave the channel free.

lay-by

noun

a place for drivers to stop at the side of a main road
nautical an anchorage in a narrow waterway, away from the channel
a small railway siding where rolling stock may be stored or parked
a system of payment whereby a buyer pays a deposit on an article, which is reserved for him until he has paid the full price

verb

(tr) to set aside or save for future needs
Also: lay to.��to cause (a sailing vessel) to stop in open water or (of a sailing vessel) to stop

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Word History and Origins

Origin of lay-by¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; noun use of verb phrase lay by

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Idioms and Phrases

see lay aside, def. 2.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But GMP said new information had led officers back to the lay-by for a fresh search this week.

From

Driving home from his last shift down the pit, as Britain's coal industry withered away, Don Keating pulled into a lay-by and cried.

From

A man who murdered his ex-girlfriend during an argument and dumped her body in a lay-by near the M1 motorway has been jailed for a minimum of 17 years.

From

Police looking for the body of a woman who was murdered by her husband in a "pre-planned honour killing" ten years ago have begun a "detailed search" of a lay-by, a force has said.

From

The driver then stopped in a lay-by and called the police, the prosecutor said.

From

lay brother lay claim to

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