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lay down the law

lay down the law
L l

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [ley doun stressed th ee law]
    • /leɪ daʊn stressed ði lɔ/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [ley doun stressed th ee law]
    • /leɪ daʊn stressed ði lɔ/

Definitions of lay down the law words

  • noun lay down the law the principles and regulations established in a community by some authority and applicable to its people, whether in the form of legislation or of custom and policies recognized and enforced by judicial decision. 1
  • noun lay down the law any written or positive rule or collection of rules prescribed under the authority of the state or nation, as by the people in its constitution. Compare bylaw, statute law. 1
  • noun lay down the law the controlling influence of such rules; the condition of society brought about by their observance: maintaining law and order. 1
  • noun lay down the law a system or collection of such rules. 1
  • noun lay down the law the department of knowledge concerned with these rules; jurisprudence: to study law. 1
  • noun lay down the law the body of such rules concerned with a particular subject or derived from a particular source: commercial law. 1
See all 34 definitions of lay down the law

Information block about the term

Origin of lay down the law

First appearance:

before 1000
One of the 6% oldest English words
before 1000; Middle English law(e), lagh(e), Old English lagu < Old Norse *lagu, early plural of lag layer, stratum, a laying in order, fixed tune, (in collective sense) law; akin to lay1, lie2

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Lay down the law

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Lay down the law

lay down the law popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 100% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

lay down the law usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for lay down the law

verb lay down the law

  • authorize — If someone in a position of authority authorizes something, they give their official permission for it to happen.
  • appoint — If you appoint someone to a job or official position, you formally choose them for it.
  • require — to have need of; need: He requires medical care.
  • direct — to manage or guide by advice, helpful information, instruction, etc.: He directed the company through a difficult time.
  • call for — If you call for someone, you go to the building where they are, so that you can both go somewhere.
All 252 Synonyms of lay down the law

Antonyms for lay down the law

verb lay down the law

  • reject — to refuse to have, take, recognize, etc.: to reject the offer of a better job.
  • permit — to allow to do something: Permit me to explain.
  • hinder — to cause delay, interruption, or difficulty in; hamper; impede: The storm hindered our progress.
  • conceal — If you conceal something, you cover it or hide it carefully.
  • aid — Aid is money, equipment, or services that are provided for people, countries, or organizations who need them but cannot provide them for themselves.
All 97 Antonyms of lay down the law

See also

Matching words

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