Meanings
lay to1
verblay to (third-person singular simple present lays to, present participle laying to, simple past and past participle laid to)
present singular third person lays to · participle present laying to · participle past laid to · past laid to
- nauticalTo turn towards the wind so that the boat stops; to remain stationary in open water or to lie to.
Hoisting our jib, we lay to, and in the morning found ourselves only a few miles from the island, but with such a steady wind blowing from its direction as to render it impossible for us to get back to it.
1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume II, London: Macmillan and Co., page 334 - To try or to expend effort to achieve (something).
The rowing team laid to their oars.
lay to2
verb
- pastsimple past of lie to
Synonyms & antonyms
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Cite this entry
APA
lay to. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lay%20to
MLA
“lay to.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lay%20to. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lay to,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lay%20to.
Source: lay to on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.