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Glite Dictionary
🗣️ To criticize strongly 🥊 To hit hard
to lay into

to lay into

1 7.5
Hit someone or something hard and violently
  • phrasal verb
  • NSFW
translation icon : atacar
  • Noel hauls back, lays into a Volvo: glass shatters.

Examples

  • Power Cop lays into Krueger, sending him spinning and tumbling, only to pick him up and start the process all over again.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • And if people did lay into me as hard as I've laid into Doctor Who,

    Blog text (20)

  • And if people did lay into me as hard as I've laid into Doctor Who,

    Blog text (20)

  • My cousin laid into him, batted him all over the batted him all over the place.

  • The coach really laid into the players after their disappointing loss, demanding better performance next time.

  • When I arrived late, my boss laid into me for not respecting the meeting schedule.

  • The angry crowd laid into the protestors, pushing them away from the entrance.

Synonyms

to hit
vsto lay into
∞ 1.0

To strike someone or something with force

adds stronger, violent intent and force to that general action
to strike
vsto lay into
553 2.4

To hit someone or something with force

is more about attacking repeatedly and violently rather than a single hit
to knock down
vsto lay into
93 3.0

Use force to make someone or something fall to the ground

focuses on violent attacking rather than the specific result of falling
to assail
vsto lay into
  • Formal
16 8.0

To attack violently, upset someone deeply or criticize them strongly

is focused on physical hitting and violent force rather than other attack types
to bash in
vsto lay into
  • NSFW
13 7.5

Hit something hard so it breaks or opens

is similar but focuses on attacking rather than resulting damage
to tear into
vsto lay into
  • Informal
4 7.4

To attack or criticize someone strongly

is specifically about violent physical hitting rather than energetic criticism
to strike hard
vsto lay into
3 3.7

Hit someone or something very hard

describes a broader violent attack rather than a single strong blow
to smash someone's face in
vsto lay into
  • Offensive
1 9.8

Hit someone in the face very hard to hurt them

is a general violent attack not limited to one body part
to lam into
vsto lay into
  • Informal
9.9

To hit someone or something violently, often by running into them

is the same violent physical attack expressed in casual speech
to bash someone's face in
vsto lay into
  • NSFW
9.9

To hit someone's face very hard to hurt them

covers violent attacking more broadly, not only facial injury
to pitch into
vsto lay into
  • NSFW
7.8

To attack someone with your body or with strong words

is mainly physical and does not emphasise verbal attacks
to lace into
vsto lay into
  • NSFW
8.5

Criticize or attack someone strongly

is mainly a violent physical attack rather than verbal or critical action

Antonyms

to support
∞ 1.0

Give help to a person or idea

to defend
∞ 1.3

To protect people and things from attack or harm

How Violent

to pummel
46 6.7
to lay into
  • NSFW
1 7.5
attack
∞ 1.4
to strike
553 2.4
to hit
∞ 1.0
to tap
174 1.0

Surface Forms

lay into infinitive
laying into present participle
lays into third person singular
laid into past
laid into past participle

Morphology

lay + into

The meaning 'attack or criticize fiercely' is not directly derivable from the literal senses of 'lay' (to place) and 'into' (movement into), since the particle creates a metaphorical, idiomatic sense rather than a literal placement. However, the directional particle 'into' does cue a directed action, so learners may partially guess an aggressive or directed behavior but not the specific forceful/critical sense without prior exposure.

Etymology

Lay into paints a clear picture: people hit something again and again, as if they lay blow after blow into it. That's why lay into means 'to attack or hit' someone forcefully.