lair

1
[ lair ]
See synonyms for lair on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a den or resting place of a wild animal: The cougar retired to its lair.

  2. a secluded or hidden place, especially a secret retreat or base of operations; a hideout or hideaway: a pirate's lair.

  1. British. a place in which to lie or rest; a bed.

verb (used with object)
  1. to place in a lair.

  2. to serve as a lair for.

verb (used without object)
  1. to go to, lie in, or have a lair.

Origin of lair

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English leir(e), lair, lare, Old English leger; cognate with Dutch, Old High German leger “bed, camp,” Afrkaans laager “defensive circle of wagons,” German Lager “storehouse”; akin to lie2

Words Nearby lair

Other definitions for lair (2 of 4)

lair2
[ lair ]

noun
  1. British Dialect. mud; mire.

verb (used without object)
  1. Scot. to sink or stick in mud or mire.

Origin of lair

2
First recorded in 1300–50; verb use of Middle English lair “clay, mire,” from Old Norse leir ”clay, mud”

Other definitions for lair (3 of 4)

lair3
[ lair ]

nounChiefly Scot.

Origin of lair

3
Middle English lōre, laire (north and Scots lare, lere ), Old English lār “teaching, instruction”; see origin at lore1

Other definitions for lair (4 of 4)

lair4
[ lair ]

nounAustralian Informal.
  1. a man who dresses garishly and is crude or vulgar; show-off.

Origin of lair

4
First recorded in 1930–35; back formation from lairy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use lair in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lair (1 of 3)

lair1

/ (lɛə) /


noun
  1. the resting place of a wild animal

  2. informal a place of seclusion or hiding

  1. an enclosure or shed for farm animals

  2. Scot the ground for a grave in a cemetery

verb
  1. (intr) (esp of a wild animal) to retreat to or rest in a lair

  2. (tr) to drive or place (an animal) in a lair

Origin of lair

1
Old English leger; related to lie ² and Old High German leger bed

British Dictionary definitions for lair (2 of 3)

lair2

/ (ler) /


noun, verb
  1. a Scot word for mire

Origin of lair

2
from Old Norse leir mud

British Dictionary definitions for lair (3 of 3)

lair3

/ (lɛə) Australian slang /


noun
  1. a flashy man who shows off

verb
  1. (intr; foll by up or around) to behave or dress like a lair

Origin of lair

3
perhaps from leer

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012