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Synonyms for lay it on
verb divulge information

disclose
reveal
whisper
confess
impart

admit
suggest
breathe
intimate
hint

insinuate
buzz
tell
bend an ear
crack to

lay the gaff
let in on
spill to
unload on

Antonyms for lay it on

conceal
hide

deny
suppress

secrete
keep

Synonyms
verb make a performance of

amplify
overstate
exaggerate
execute
overdo
show

perform
splash
burlesque
produce
present
act

enact
stage
ham it up
play up
playact
farcialize

give color to
make a production of
melodramatize
play on heartstrings
play to gallery
tragedize

Antonyms

ignore
refuse
veto
prevent

refrain
reduce
abandon
fail

neglect
halt
stop

Synonyms
verb ingratiate oneself to; serve

crouch
grovel
defer
kowtow
flatter
stroke
submit
toady
creep
cotton
pander
debase
snow

scrape
jolly
stoop
woo
cajole
abase
kneel
oil
invite
court
crawl
truckle
blandish

cower
yield
bow
slaver
cringe
massage
apple-polish
brownnose
butter up
curry favor
be at beck and call
be obsequious
be servile

buddy up
cater to
cave in to
fall all over
honey up
lick boots
make up to
pay court
play up to
fall on one’s knees

Antonyms

deny
refuse
honor

ignore
reject
force

fight

Synonyms
verb go to extremes; carry too far

overrate
overplay
exaggerate
overstate
overreach
magnify
stretch
hype
overwork
overload

belabor
pressure
fatigue
puff
overburden
overindulge
amplify
run riot
wear down
overvalue

overestimate
overuse
overtire
overtax
be intemperate
bite off too much
do to death
drive oneself
go overboard
go too far

make federal case
not know when to stop
pile on
run into the ground
strain oneself
talk big
wear oneself out

Antonyms

play down
decrease

lessen
compress

ignore
neglect

Synonyms
verb cater to, indulge

satisfy
gratify
please
snow

stroke
cajole
soap
massage

brownnose
politic
fall all over
play the game

play up to
soften up
suck up to

Antonyms

anger
disappoint
frustrate

annoy
deny
dissatisfy

refuse
upset
disturb

Synonyms
verb fawn

kowtow
flatter
woo
stroke
oil
cajole

bootlick
massage
truckle
apple-polish
brownnose
butter up

be servile
fall all over
honey up
kiss-up
lick boots
pay court

play up to
suck up to
fall on one’s knees
kiss one’s feet
scratch one’s back

Synonyms
verb fawn

kowtow
flatter
woo
grovel
stroke
oil

cajole
bootlick
toady
massage
apple-polish
brownnose

butter up
be servile
fall all over
honey up
kiss-up
lick boots

pay court
play up to
suck up to
fall on one’s knees
kiss one’s feet
scratch one’s back

Synonyms
verb talk into

finagle
cajole
draw
oil
court
coax
seduce

flatter
banter
snow
inveigle
persuade
charm
entice

sweet-talk
blandish
kowtow
soap
con
butter up
soft-soap

worm
soften up
spread it on
sweeten up
work on

Antonyms

offend
disgust
dissuade

repel
repulse
turn off

disenchant

Usage Notes

Lay1 and lie2 are often confused. Lay is most commonly a transitive verb and takes an object. Its forms are regular. If “place” or “put” can be substituted in a sentence, a form of lay is called for: Lay the folders on the desk. The mason is laying brick. She laid the baby in the crib. Lay also has many intransitive senses, among them “to lay eggs” (The hens have stopped laying), and it forms many phrasal verbs, such as lay off “to dismiss (from employment)” or “to stop annoying or teasing” and lay over “to make a stop.” Lie, with the overall senses “to be in a horizontal position, recline” and “to rest, remain, be situated, etc.,” is intransitive and takes no object. Its forms are irregular; its past tense form is identical with the present tense or infinitive form of lay: Lie down, children. Abandoned cars were lying along the road. The dog lay in the shade and watched the kittens play. The folders have lain on the desk since yesterday. In all but the most careful, formal speech, forms of lay are commonly heard in senses normally associated with lie. In edited written English such uses of lay are rare and are usually considered nonstandard: Lay down, children. The dog laid in the shade. Abandoned cars were laying along the road. The folders have laid on the desk since yesterday.