lay down the marker

verb

To set the standard.

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Meanings

verblay down the marker (third-person singular simple present lays down the marker, present participle laying down the marker, simple past and past participle laid down the marker)

present singular third person lays down the marker · participle present laying down the marker · participle past laid down the marker · past laid down the marker · alternative lay down a marker

  1. idiomaticTo set the standard.

    City held firm and even threatened to retake the lead when Adam Johnson tested De Gea, but it was United who laid down the marker for the forthcoming Premier League campaign, beginning the defence of their title by collecting more silverware.

    2011 August 7, Chris Bevan, “Man City 2 - 3 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport
Cite this entry
APA

lay down the marker. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lay%20down%20the%20marker

MLA

“lay down the marker.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lay%20down%20the%20marker. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lay down the marker,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lay%20down%20the%20marker.

Source: lay down the marker on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.