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
Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 13 Apr. 2024
The Hornets did have a strong comeback win at Atlanta Wednesday night, with Miles Bridges going coast-to-coast for the winning layup in a 115-114 thriller, but those moments have been few and far between the last couple of years.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 11 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for layup 
Noun
The Suns got within two when a turnover by Sabonis led to a layup by Beal with 1:02 to go.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 13 Apr. 2024
The Hornets did have a strong comeback win at Atlanta Wednesday night, with Miles Bridges going coast-to-coast for the winning layup in a 115-114 thriller, but those moments have been few and far between the last couple of years.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 11 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for layup
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 3 May. 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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