1
: the action of laying up or the condition of being laid up
2
: a shot in basketball made from near the basket usually by playing the ball off the backboard
laid up; laying up; lays up
1
: to store up : lay by
2
: to disable or confine with illness or injury
a knee injury laid him up for a week
3
: to take out of active service
Synonyms
Examples of layup in a Sentence
Verb
an eating disorder that would impel her to lay up candy bars in her closet for all-night food binges
Recent Examples on the Web
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
There was also an and-one layup finish that got the crowd going early — one that prompted a Miller scowl and flex as if to signal to the 16,374 on hand: Today is my day.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2024
Ashlyn Watkins of the South Carolina Gamecocks goes for a layup during the game against the N.C. State Wolfpack during the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 5, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
—CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
LeBron James, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell all looked confused after a miscue led to an easy Pacers layup.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Monk was trying to contest a driving layup attempt by Luka Doncic when their legs got tangled up.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 30 Mar. 2024
Organic Chicken Nuggets, $4.99 Lightly breaded, these nuggets from the fresh food section are a quick layup for your cravings.
—Kara Peeler, Sunset Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
Her banked layup gave Minnesota State a lead -- and the win.
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2024
Guard Kayla Padilla extended the run by knocking down a three on USC’s first possession of the fourth quarter and then Watkins provided the knockout punch by shoveling a no-look pass to Kaitlyn Davis for a layup with 6:12 remaining to put the Trojans up by 14.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 8 Nov. 2023
Bees and ants reproduce quickly–a queen can lay up to thousands of eggs in a day.
—Popular Science, 29 Feb. 2024
Female bedbugs can deposit one to five eggs a day and may lay up to 200 to 500 eggs in their lifetime.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2024
Those two moments laid up against each other very nicely.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 13 Oct. 2023
Photographs show soldiers reading them while getting a haircut, laid up in traction and facing various challenging conditions.
—Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2023
Females can lay up to seven eggs a day, meaning infestations can spread quickly.
—Leila Sackur, NBC News, 30 Sep. 2023
His injury forced eventual All-Star starter Jonah Heim into a true everyday starting role at catcher, and the Rangers’ offense did more than just stay afloat while the former Silver Slugger was laid up.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas News, 13 Sep. 2023
With her out on leave and partner Pete laid up with COVID-19, the detective agency Finder Keepers is closed when a desperate mom named Penny Dahl leaves a voicemail hoping that someone can find her daughter Bonnie, an assistant librarian at Bell College of Arts and Sciences.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 6 Sep. 2023
Noun
Golden State’s lead hovered around 20, and Thompson freed himself on a backdoor cut for a smooth reverse layup.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
There was also an and-one layup finish that got the crowd going early — one that prompted a Miller scowl and flex as if to signal to the 16,374 on hand: Today is my day.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2024
Ashlyn Watkins of the South Carolina Gamecocks goes for a layup during the game against the N.C. State Wolfpack during the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 5, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
—CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
LeBron James, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell all looked confused after a miscue led to an easy Pacers layup.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Monk was trying to contest a driving layup attempt by Luka Doncic when their legs got tangled up.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 30 Mar. 2024
Organic Chicken Nuggets, $4.99 Lightly breaded, these nuggets from the fresh food section are a quick layup for your cravings.
—Kara Peeler, Sunset Magazine, 30 Mar. 2024
Her banked layup gave Minnesota State a lead -- and the win.
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2024
Guard Kayla Padilla extended the run by knocking down a three on USC’s first possession of the fourth quarter and then Watkins provided the knockout punch by shoveling a no-look pass to Kaitlyn Davis for a layup with 6:12 remaining to put the Trojans up by 14.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Verb
Fleas can lay up to 50 eggs daily, leading to rapid infestation.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 8 Nov. 2023
Bees and ants reproduce quickly–a queen can lay up to thousands of eggs in a day.
—Popular Science, 29 Feb. 2024
Female bedbugs can deposit one to five eggs a day and may lay up to 200 to 500 eggs in their lifetime.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2024
Those two moments laid up against each other very nicely.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 13 Oct. 2023
Photographs show soldiers reading them while getting a haircut, laid up in traction and facing various challenging conditions.
—Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2023
Females can lay up to seven eggs a day, meaning infestations can spread quickly.
—Leila Sackur, NBC News, 30 Sep. 2023
His injury forced eventual All-Star starter Jonah Heim into a true everyday starting role at catcher, and the Rangers’ offense did more than just stay afloat while the former Silver Slugger was laid up.
—Shawn McFarland, Dallas News, 13 Sep. 2023
With her out on leave and partner Pete laid up with COVID-19, the detective agency Finder Keepers is closed when a desperate mom named Penny Dahl leaves a voicemail hoping that someone can find her daughter Bonnie, an assistant librarian at Bell College of Arts and Sciences.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 6 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'layup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Layup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/layup. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
layup
1 of 2 noun
lay·up
ˈlā-ˌəp 
: a basketball shot made from near the basket usually by bouncing the ball off the backboard
lay up
2 of 2 verb1
: to store up
2
: to disable or confine with illness or injury
a knee injury laid her up for a week
3
: to take out of active service
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