Laid is the past tense of the verb lay, which means to put or place something down in a horizontal position. When you laid your backpack on the kitchen table yesterday, you set it down there. When builders laid bricks to construct a wall, they carefully positioned each one. A hen that laid an egg deposited it in her nest.

The word laid often causes confusion because it sounds similar to lied (the past tense of lie, meaning to recline or rest). Here's the key difference: you lay something else down (it takes an object), but you lie down yourself (no object needed). So yesterday you laid your book on the shelf, but you lay down for a nap. Yes, this is confusing! Even experienced writers sometimes mix these up.

The word appears in several common expressions. When something is laid out, it's arranged or displayed clearly, like puzzle pieces laid out on a table. Plans that are laid out are explained in an organized way. When someone gets laid off from a job, the company has decided to end their employment, usually for business reasons rather than poor performance.