lay by

noun, verb — 7 senses

lay-by

nounalso spelled lay-by

UK /ˈleɪ.baɪ/

1

Philippines, UK A paved area at the side of a highway designated for drivers to stop in, for emergency parking, or where vehicles can wait, with larger lay-bys possibly having facilities such as food vendors or public telephones.

2

UK A railroad siding; a second, short railroad track just to the side of a railroad track, connected with the main track by a switch and used for unloading, bypassing, etc.

3

Nautical, Transport A widened section of a narrow river or canal, formed to one side so as to leave the channel free, for mooring of vessels, where vessels can lay over or allow others to pass.

4

Australia, New Zealand, South Africa A method of retail purchase in which the selected goods are set aside and the customer pays for them in instalments, receiving them when fully paid; layaway.

  • 1930 October 16, Hordern Brothers (Sydney retailer), advertisement, quoted in 1966, Sidney J. Baker, The Australian Language, second edition, chapter X, section 2, page 206, Avail yourself of our Lay-By Service
Synonyms
turnout, rest stop, truck stop, siding, sidetrack, layaway

lay by

verb
1

To put away for future use; save; to build up as savings.

  • He had managed to lay by money for college through his years as a paperboy.
2

Nautical, Transport (of a sailing vessel) To remain stationary while heading into the wind; to come to a standstill; heave to; lay to.

3

Southern US To tend (a crop) for the last time, leaving it to mature without further cultivation.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — authors: page histories for lay-by and lay by.