make them lay

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "make them lay" is not correct in standard written English.
It is likely intended to mean "make them lie," which is the correct form when referring to causing someone to recline or to tell a falsehood. Example: "The teacher had to make them lie down for a nap after lunch."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

"I don't do anything to make them lay, so each egg is a gift," she says.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

It is easy to compare ministerial braggadocio about spending with Treasury tables and the ominous sums done by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (though the fact that Mr Brown's claims look implausible does not, in itself, make them lies: he may still really believe them).There may be something to all of those explanations.

The Economist

I would wager that a far more intrusive breach of someone's privacy would be to make them lie in their own urine for hours at a time, rather than the comparatively fleeting ignominy of having your voicemail listened to, but that is me.

The Guardian

One day, the police arrived, made them lie face down in the dirt, and opened fire.

The New Yorker

There they made them lie face down in the sun all day, or crowded them into open pits, their shirts pulled over their heads in sweltering heat.

The New York Times

The Sarajevo players remembered him making them lie on the floor in a darkened room while he played taped music and told them to imagine themselves as bumblebees flying from flower to flower.

The Guardian

According to Mr Lintott's family, the thieves took the men's money and made them lie on the ground before blasting them with a shotgun in the incident, which happened on August 9.

The Guardian

If that makes them lie low for a while, the US will claim that its ploy has worked – though the public may never know for sure how serious the threat was in the first place.

The Guardian - Opinion

About twenty marines with automatic weapons stopped the activists, put hoods on them to prevent them from seeing any more of the top-secret facility, and made them lie on the ground for three and a half hours, while the base was searched for other intruders.

The New Yorker

During this first attack, which lasted for about 90 minutes, uniformed municipal police forced 25 to 30 students off one of the buses, made them lie face down on the street, and then drove them away in police trucks.

Huffington Post

Witnesses say the killers forced the three to walk from a convenience store to the park, made them lie down on the ground, and shot each in the head.

Vice

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When intending to convey the action of reclining, ensure you use the correct verb form "lie" instead of "lay". For example, use "make them lie down".

Common error

The verbs "lie" (to recline) and "lay" (to place something) are often confused. Avoid using "lay" when you mean "lie"; "lay" requires a direct object, whereas "lie" does not. It's correct to say "make them lie down", not "make them lay down".

Linguistic Context

The phrase is intended to function as a causative verb phrase, aiming to express the act of causing someone to perform an action. However, the incorrect verb form diminishes its functionality. As Ludwig AI indicates, the use of "lay" is incorrect in this context.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "make them lay" is grammatically incorrect and infrequently used. As Ludwig AI notes, the correct phrase, when referring to reclining, is "make them lie". The available Ludwig examples suggest this phrase is most likely to be found in News & Media contexts, although its infrequent and incorrect usage necessitates careful attention. The confusion stems from the common misuse of the verbs "lie" and "lay". When aiming to direct someone to recline, use "make them lie"; when talking about telling falsehoods, use "make them tell lies".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

make them lie

Corrects the grammatical error, using the correct verb form 'lie' to indicate reclining.

have them lie

Uses "have" to express the action of someone lying down.

cause them to lie down

Replaces "make" with "cause" and clarifies the action as "lie down".

get them to lie down

Emphasizes the action of persuading or getting someone to lie down.

force them to recline

Uses a more formal verb, "recline", to indicate a similar action.

compel them to lie

Uses 'compel' to express forcing someone to lie.

coerce them into lying

Uses 'coerce' to indicate forcing someone into lying.

induce them to lie

Uses 'induce' to mean persuade, influence, or cause to do something, in this case, to lie.

make them tell lies

Introduces the meaning 'to tell falsehoods', by replacing 'lay' with 'tell lies'.

cause them to tell falsehoods

Replaces "lie" with "tell falsehoods", clarifying the action.

FAQs

What does "make them lay" mean?

The phrase "make them lay" is likely a misspelling. It is probably intended to mean "make them lie", which can mean to cause someone to recline or, depending on context, to tell falsehoods.

Is "make them lay" grammatically correct?

No, "make them lay" is grammatically incorrect. The correct form when referring to reclining is "make them lie". If referring to telling falsehoods, "make them tell lies" is more appropriate.

How can I use "make them lie" in a sentence?

You can use "make them lie" in a sentence like, "The drill sergeant would make them lie on the ground during training." or in the context of telling falsehoods "The situation made them lie to protect their friends".

What are some alternatives to "make them lie"?

Alternatives to "make them lie" (to recline) include "cause them to lie down" or "have them recline". If the intended meaning is to tell falsehoods, you could say "cause them to tell falsehoods" or "coerce them into lying".