lay something ↔ down phrasal verb ( see also ↑ lay )
1 . OFFICIALLY STATE to officially state something or say that rules, principles etc must be obeyed:
He had already clearly laid down his view in his opening speech.
lay down that
The contract laid down that the work must be completed before 2025.
2 . WEAPONS if people lay down their weapons, they stop fighting:
The terrorists were urged to lay down their arms.
3 . lay down the law to tell other people what to do, how they should think etc, in a very strong or impolite way:
I could hear him laying down the law.
4 . lay down your life formal to die in order to help other people
lay down your life for
He was even prepared to lay down his life for his friends.
5 . KEEP to store something, especially wine, to use in the future
6 . RECORD to record your music, for example in a recording ↑ studio :
They are just about to start laying down tracks for their second album.