lay to

nautical effort attribution

The phrase 'lay to' has diverse meanings depending on context, including nautical maneuvers and attributing responsibility.

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Definition

C1Nautical

(technical)To position a vessel into the wind to bring it to a stop or to remain stationary in open water.

Example

The captain decided to lay to until the storm passed.

B2General

(informal)To attribute responsibility or blame to someone or something.

Example

They laid the success of the project to the team's hard work.

B2Effort

(informal)To apply oneself with energy or effort to achieve something.

Example

She laid to and finished the report in record time.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "lay to":

lay figure lay by lay about lay over lay on lay open lay away lay in lay into lay down lay to rest lay out lay up lie over lie by lay back lie in lay odds lie down lie with lay aside laid up lay on the line lay waste lie upon lie in the way lay a foundation lie behind lie around lie back lay bare lay in lavender lay off let on lie before layer up lay pipe lay of the land let be get laid set down lay a finger on