mislay

[ mis-ley ]
See synonyms for mislay on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),mis·laid, mis·lay·ing.
  1. to lose temporarily; misplace: He mislaid his keys.

  2. to lay or place wrongly; arrange or situate improperly: to mislay linoleum.

Origin of mislay

1
First recorded in 1350–1400, mislay is from Middle English mysse layen. See mis-1, lay1

Other words from mislay

  • mis·lay·er, noun

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

How to use mislay in a sentence

  • It mislays, it injures, it mars the things which are intrusted to it.

  • Get away from this age where a man is suspected of insanity if he so much as mislays his checkbook or kicks his dog.

    A Thought For Tomorrow | Robert E. Gilbert
  • Enviable stoicism that mislays the keepsake of some poor widow, or lames the old curate's cob, the fond companion of many rambles.

    The Daltons, Volume I (of II) | Charles James Lever
  • I shall give the name of him who mislays my pen and uses up my ink.

    The Turtles of Tasman | Jack London
  • Othello mislays his handkerchief, and there remains nothing for him but death.

British Dictionary definitions for mislay

mislay

/ (mɪsˈleɪ) /


verb-lays, -laying or -laid (tr)
  1. to lose (something) temporarily, esp by forgetting where it is

  2. to lay (something) badly

Derived forms of mislay

  • mislayer, noun

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