Past Tense of Lay | Definition, Explanation & Examples
The past tense of the verb lay, meaning “place something in a horizontal position,” is laid. Laid is both the simple past tense form of the verb and the past participle.
The simple past tense is used to describe actions that have taken place in the past. The past participle is used for forming the perfect tenses and the passive voice.
Lay is a transitive verb, so it always takes a direct object. It can also be used figuratively (e.g., “The principal laid down the law at the start of the new year”) or more abstractly (e.g., “After a full day in the studio, we had laid down only two tracks”).
| Laid as simple past tense | Laid as past participle |
|---|---|
| I laid the clothes out on the bed, ready for the morning.
Exhausted, Marie finally laid the baby down to sleep. The camp leader laid out the rules for us. |
The free-range hens had laid many more eggs than the caged birds.
The pet rabbit was laid to rest with full honors. The paving had been laid in a single day. |
Past tense of lay
The simple past tense form of lay is laid.
The exhausted soldiers laid down their weapons and emerged from their foxholes.
I watched in awe as the workers laid the stones expertly to make a sturdy dry-stone wall.
Past participle of lay
The past participle of lay is laid.
The storm had blown the trees down, and they looked like a giant had laid them down carefully in rows.
Everyone knew what was expected, as the rules had been laid out in advance.
Remember, if you are laying something down, then the past tense and past participle are both laid.
A QuillBot Grammar Check can help ensure you’re using lay and lie correctly.
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Marshall, T. (2025, May 06). Past Tense of Lay | Definition, Explanation & Examples. Quillbot. Retrieved August 11, 2025, from http://qbot.seotoolbuy.com/blog/verbs/past-tense-of-lay/
