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Glite Dictionary
layaway

layaway

6 4.4
A way to pay for an item in small payments and get it after you finish paying
  • noun
  • /ˈleɪəˌweɪ/
  • US
: apartado
  • Stores like Walmart offer layaway with very simple terms.
  • layaway plan
  • layaway items
  • layaway option

Because at the time I don't, they don't think they understood the system of layaway.

Examples

  • Next door was the Western shop where Grim had a fringed, buckskin jacket on layaway.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • I did the Walmart Layaway deal, and surprisingly it went really smoothly.

    Blog text (17)

  • We could do it on the layaway plan.

    The Lords of Flatbush (1974)

  • The rest is on extended layaway.

    When We First Met (2018)

  • You going to pay now or pay on layaway?

    Do the Right Thing (1989)

  • I put something on layaway, and then I found it cheaper at Target.

    Blog text (28)

  • I put some chairs on layaway.

    Let Him Go (2020)

  • Rhonda, l'm gonna put me one of those purses on layaway.

    Our Very Own (2005)

  • You can purchase the new TV using the layaway option, making small payments each month.

  • Many parents rely on layaway to afford holiday gifts by paying for items over time.

Synonyms

deferred payment
vslayaway
2 4.3

An arrangement to give money for something later instead of now

uses staged payments and delays delivery until fully paid
time plan
vslayaway
1 5.3

A way to buy something by paying small amounts regularly

keeps the item until all payments are completed
installment buying
vslayaway
  • US
1 3.1

A way to buy something by paying small amounts over time

requires item delivery only after full payment is finished
never-never
vslayaway
  • Archaic
8.8

To pay for something by small regular payments over time instead of paying all at once

delivers the item only when the full amount has been paid

Surface Forms

layaway singular
layaways plural

Morphology

layaway = lay + away (opaque) = lay + away

The components 'lay' and 'away' do not transparently convey the specific meaning of a payment system.

Etymology

Layaway comes from the simple parts lay + away, which together mean 'put aside'. So, a store will 'put an item aside' for you while you pay in small amounts, and that is why layaway means buying something by paying over time.