What does "lair" mean?
A place inhabited by a wild animal, often a cave or a hole in the ground.
Lair
/lɛə/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A place inhabited by a wild animal, often a cave or a hole in the ground.
- Grammar: lair is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: den, abri, adytum, antre.
- Useful contrasts: edge, exposure, open air.
- Usage evidence: A fox smells its own lair first.
How to use "lair"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "lair" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "lair" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "lair" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "lair" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "lair" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "den" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "lair", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A place inhabited by a wild animal, often a cave or a hole in the ground.
"O dainty dew, O morning dew / That gleamed in the world's first dawn, did you / And the sweet grass and manful oaks / Give lair and rest / To him who toadwise sits and croaks / His death-behest?"
- 2 A bog; a mire. Scotland
- 3 A person who dresses in a showy but tasteless manner and behaves in a vulgar and conceited way; a show-off. Australia, New-Zealand, colloquial
- 4 Obsolete form of layer. alt-of, obsolete
"The walls, which are fixed direct into the ground without a plinth, are made of wattle and plastered with a thin lair of mud or cowdung."
- 5 the habitation of wild animals wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 A shed or shelter for domestic animals.
- 7 A place inhabited by a criminal or criminals, a superhero or a supervillain; a refuge, retreat, haven or hideaway. figuratively
"...Van Helsing stood up and said, "Now, my dear friends, we go forth to our terrible enterprise. Are we all armed, as we were on that night when first we visited our enemy's lair. Armed against ghostly as well as carnal attack?""
- 8 A bed or resting place. British, dialectal
"Then would I in Plenty's lap, For the first time take a nap; Falling back in easy lair, Sweetly slumb'ring in my chair;"
- 9 A grave; a cemetery plot. Scotland
"[…] but few knew the reason, and some thought it was because the deceased were strangers, and had no regular lair. I dressed the two bonny orphans in the best mourning at my own cost […]"
- 10 A group where pickup artists meet to discuss and practise seduction techniques.
Verb
- 1 To rest; to dwell. British
"The lee-light that December gies Was lairing in the wast, Whan Christy wi' her oa claes, Was boun' to dree the blast."
- 2 To mire. Scotland, transitive
- 3 To lay down. British
- 4 To become mired. Scotland, intransitive
- 5 To bury. British
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"A fox smells its own lair first."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "lair"?
Common synonyms include: den, abri, adytum, antre, ashram, asylum.
How do you use "lair" in a sentence?
A fox smells its own lair first.
How do you pronounce "lair"?
Pronounced /lɛə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English leir, leire, lair, lare, from Old English leġer (“couch, bed”), from Proto-Germanic *legrą, from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ-.
Etymology 2
From Old Norse leir (“clay, mud”). Compare Icelandic leir (“clay”).
Etymology 3
Backformation from lairy.