To be or place oneself at rest in a flat, horizontal, or recumbent position; recline: He lay under a tree to sleep.
To be placed on or supported by a surface that is usually horizontal: Dirty dishes lay on the table. See Usage Note at lay1.
To be or remain in a specified condition: The dust has lain undisturbed for years. He lay sick in bed.
To exist; reside: Our sympathies lie with the plaintiff.
To consist or have as a basis. Often used with in:The strength of his performance lies in his training.
To occupy a position or place: The lake lies beyond this hill.
To extend: Our land lies between these trees and the river.
To be buried in a specified place.
Law To be admissible or maintainable.
Archaic To stay for a night or short while.
n.
The manner or position in which something is situated.
A haunt or hiding place of an animal.
Sports The position of a golf ball that has come to a stop.
To be decided by, dependent on, or up to: The choice lies with you.
Archaic To have sexual intercourse with.
Phrasal Verb(s): lie down
To do little or nothing: He's lying down on the job. lie in
To be in confinement for childbirth.
lie to Nautical
To remain stationary while facing the wind.
lie with
To be decided by, dependent on, or up to: The choice lies with you.
Archaic To have sexual intercourse with.
Idiom(s):
lie/lay low
To keep oneself or one's plans hidden.
To bide one's time but remain ready for action.
[Middle English lien, from Old English licgan; see legh- in Indo-European roots.]
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This Main Entry: lay Function: transitive verb Inflected Forms: laid; lay·ing 1: to impose as a duty, burden, or punishment <lay atax> 2 a: to put forward :ASSERT <lay a claim> b: to submit forexamination and determination <laid a case before the commission>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This Main Entry: lie Pronunciation: 'lI Function: intransitive verb Inflected Forms: lay/'lA/; lain/'lAn/; ly·ing :to be sustainable or capable of being maintained : have grounds under the law <holding that an action of battery would lie —Scott v. Bradford, 606 Pacific Reporter, SecondSeries 554 (1979)> <remedies for misrepresentation…will not lie for misstatements of opinion —W. L. Prosser and W. Pacific Reporter Keeton> <appeals from the Tax Courtlie to the…Circuit Court —D. Q. Posin>—lie in grant: to be transferable legally only by grant
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Audio Help [lahy] Pronunciation Key verb, lay, lain, ly·ing, noun 
