What does "layaway" mean?

A pit in which hides are stored.

What is a synonym for "layaway"?

Common synonyms include: lay by, lay-by.

Layaway

noun, verb

noun, verb ·3 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
A pit in which hides are stored. countable, uncountable
2
The system of accepting a deposit and holding for a customer to complete purchase. Canada, US, countable, uncountable
"A chain of local gun shops advertised, as a “Father's Day Sale,” the semiautomatic Intratec TEC-9, with extra ammo clip, case, and flash suppressor, reduced from $347.80 to $249.95 and available on layaway."
3
An item which has been held in this way. Canada, US, countable, uncountable

Verb

1
Alternative form of lay away. alt-of, alternative, nonstandard
2
Nonstandard spelling of lay away. alt-of, nonstandard

Synonyms

All synonyms

lay by lay-by

Example

More examples

"A chain of local gun shops advertised, as a “Father's Day Sale,” the semiautomatic Intratec TEC-9, with extra ammo clip, case, and flash suppressor, reduced from $347.80 to $249.95 and available on layaway."

Etymology

Deverbal from lay away. The truly solidified verb (as contrasted with the merely misspelled one) is back-formed from the noun but is nonstandard.

Related phrases

Firestone layaway on hold

More for "layaway"

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.