Lay to

Synonyms for lay to
verb accuse; place responsibility

criticize
attribute
denounce
chide
charge
indict
condemn
knock
rap
saddle
reprehend

reprove
frame
ascribe
disapprove
censure
admonish
roast
impute
finger
rebuke
skin

upbraid
tax
blast
reproach
pass the buck
blow the whistle on
climb all over
denunciate
express disapprobation
find fault with
hold responsible

jump all over
lay a bad trip on
let one have it
lower the boom
point the finger
stick it to
jump down one’s throat
lay at one’s door

Antonyms for lay to

compliment
laud
praise
exonerate
absolve
sanction

applaud
exalt
exculpate
thank
approve
free

acquit
endorse
flatter
commend

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.