lain out

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitive

   past participle of 'lie out': having been spread flat or placed in the open air.

   Grammar: Used after have/has/had or be to form perfect and passive-looking tenses; the subject lies itself, no object: the clothes have lain out all night.

   Patterns

   • have/has lain out
   • had lain out
   • be lain out

   The picnic blanket had lain out on the grass since morning, damp with dew.

   Her clothes have lain out on the bed all day, waiting to be packed.

2. 2verbintransitive

   past participle of 'lie out': to have been left visible or exposed rather than put away.

   Grammar: Same grammar as sense 1; often used with time phrases like 'for hours' or 'all week'.

   Patterns

   • lain out for hours
   • lain out in the sun

   The tools had lain out in the rain and started to rust.

   Papers had lain out on the desk for days before anyone filed them.

Common combinations

lain out in the sun

The towels had lain out in the sun until they were dry.

lain out all night

The bikes had lain out all night and were covered in frost.

lain out on the grass

A book had lain out on the grass since lunchtime.

Synonyms and how they differ

laid out

Sounds similar but comes from the transitive verb 'lay', so it always needs an object: she laid the clothes out.

spread out

A clearer everyday choice when you mean something was opened flat; 'spread out' works as both past tense and participle.

Opposites

Word family

lie verb

To be in a flat or resting position; the base verb of 'lain out'.

lying verb

The -ing form of 'lie', as in 'the map is lying out on the table'.

Commonly confused: lain out or laid out? lain out or lay out?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “lain out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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