Hay — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈhā/

Meaning & Definition of Hay

Hay (noun)

  1. herbage and especially grass mowed and cured for fodder
  2. reward
  3. bed

Hay (verb)

  1. to cut, cure, and store hay
  2. to feed with hay

Hay (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a very small sum of money

    "their credit card debt isn't hay—it'll take years to pay it off"

    similar: chicken feed (slang), chump change, dime, mite, peanuts, pin money, pittance, shoestring, song, two cents
    related: petty cash, pocket money, spending money
    opposite: big buck(s), boodle, bundle, fortune, king's ransom, megabuck(s), mint, wad
    near: bankroll, capital, funds, means, wherewithal, opulence, pelf, riches, treasure, wealth, heap, pile, pot, bonanza, mine, treasure trove, treasury

  2. a place set aside for sleeping

    "dragging myself out of the hay on such a cold, dreary morning seemed like an act of sheer masochism"

    similar: bed, bunk, doss (chiefly British), kip, lair (British dialect), pad, rack, sack
    related: bedstead, futon, mattress, pallet, bunk bed, cot, couch, daybed, feather bed, four-poster, hammock, Murphy bed, shakedown, sleigh bed, sofa, sofa bed, studio couch, trundle bed, water bed, bassinet, carry-cot (British), cradle, crib

Hay (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in cut, mow

    similar: cut, mow, glean, bag, capture, hunt, net, snare, trap, accumulate, forage, garner, crop, grow, raise, clam, fish, seal, shrimp, whale, gather, harvest, pick, reap
    opposite: plant, seed, sow

Related Entry: Hit the hay (phrase)

Hit the hay is a different word from Hay. The synonyms below are for hit the hay, not for hay.

  1. to go to one's bed in order to sleep

    "It's been a great evening, but I'm ready to hit the hay."

    similar: bed, crash (slang), doss (down) (chiefly British), retire, turn in
    related: bunk, perch, roost, settle, doze, drop off, nap, nod, sleep, slumber, snooze, couch, lie (down), recline
    opposite: arise, get up, rise, uprise
    near: arouse, awake, awaken, rouse, wake, waken, bestir, stir, reawake, reawaken, shift

Related Entry: Hits the hay (phrase)

Hits the hay is a different word from Hay. The synonyms below are for hits the hay, not for hay.

  1. to go to one's bed in order to sleep

    "It's been a great evening, but I'm ready to hit the hay."

    similar: beds, crashes (slang), dosses (down) (chiefly British), retires, turns in
    related: bunks, perches, roosts, settles, dozes, drops off, naps, nods, sleeps, slumbers, snoozes, couches, lies (down), reclines
    opposite: arises, gets up, rises, uprises
    near: arouses, awakens, awakes, rouses, wakens, wakes, bestirs, stirs, reawakens, reawakes, shifts

Related Entry: Hitting the hay (phrase)

Hitting the hay is a different word from Hay. The synonyms below are for hitting the hay, not for hay.

  1. to go to one's bed in order to sleep

    "It's been a great evening, but I'm ready to hit the hay."

    similar: bedding, crashing (slang), dossing (down) (chiefly British), retiring, turning in
    related: bunking, perching, roosting, settling, dozing, dropping off, napping, nodding, sleeping, slumbering, snoozing, couching, lying (down), reclining
    opposite: arising, getting up, rising, uprising
    near: arousing, awakening, awaking, rousing, wakening, waking, bestirring, stirring, reawakening, reawaking, shifting

Related Entry: Make (verb)

Make is a different word from Hay. The synonyms below are for make, not for hay.

  1. to bring into being by combining, shaping, or transforming materials

    "will you help me make the dough for the cookies?"

    similar: fabricate, fashion, form, frame, manufacture, produce, put together
    related: assemble, build, construct, erect, make up, put up, raise, rear, set up, structure, throw up, craft, handcraft, hew, forge, mold, shape, cobble (together or up), knock out, patch (together), prefabricate, create, invent, mint, originate, establish, father, institute, organize, concoct, contrive, cook (up), design, devise, imagine, think (up), conceive, envisage, picture, visualize, refashion, remake, remanufacture
    near: disassemble, dismantle, take apart, break up, dismember, abolish, annihilate, demolish, destroy, devastate, eradicate, exterminate, extinguish, flatten, pulverize, raze, ruin, shatter, smash, wreck, blow up, explode

  2. to obtain (as a goal) through effort

    "we finally made it!"

    similar: achieve, attain, bag, chalk up, clock (up) (chiefly British), gain, hit, log, notch (up), rack up, ring up, score, win
    related: acquire, capture, carry, draw, garner, get, land, obtain, procure, realize, secure, amount (to), approach, equal, match, measure up (to), meet, rival, tie, touch, beat, excel, outdo, surpass, top
    near: fall short (of), miss, fail (at), lose

  3. to be the cause of (a situation, action, or state of mind)

    "the cats made quite a disturbance when they knocked the Christmas tree over"

    similar: beget, breed, bring, bring about, bring on, catalyze, cause, create, do, draw on, effect, effectuate, engender, generate, induce, invoke, occasion, produce, prompt, result (in), spawn, translate (into), work, yield, bring forth, give rise to
    related: conduce (to), contribute (to), decide, determine, begin, establish, father, found, inaugurate, initiate, innovate, institute, introduce, launch, pioneer, set, set up, start, advance, cultivate, develop, encourage, forward, foster, further, nourish, nurture, promote, enact, render, turn out
    near: impede, limit, restrict, clamp down (on), crack down (on), crush, dampen, put down, quash, quell, repress, smother, squash, squelch, stifle, subdue, suppress, arrest, check, control, curb, inhibit, rein (in), restrain, retard, can (slang), kill, snuff (out), still, abolish, demolish, destroy, extinguish, liquidate, quench

  4. to carry through (as a process) to completion

    "one person from each department will be asked to make a short presentation at the meeting"

    similar: accomplish, achieve, bring off, carry off, carry out, commit, compass, do, execute, follow through (with), fulfill, negotiate, perform, perpetrate, prosecute, pull off, put through, go through
    related: bring about, effect, effectuate, implement, ace, nail, engage (in), practice, work (at), reduplicate, reenact, repeat, actualize, attain, realize, complete, end, finish, wind up
    near: fail, skimp, slight, slur

  5. to cause (a person) to give in to pressure

    "made him do all the work while everyone else just lounged around"

    similar: blackjack, coerce, compel, constrain, dragoon, drive, force, impel, impress, muscle, obligate, oblige, press, pressure, sandbag, twist one's arm
    related: browbeat, bulldoze, bully, cow, hector, intimidate, blackmail, high-pressure, menace, shame, terrorize, threaten, drag, badger, harass, hound
    near: allow, let, permit, argue, convince, induce, move, persuade, prevail (on or upon), satisfy, talk (into), win (over)

  6. to decide the size, amount, number, or distance of (something) without actual measurement

    "I make that to be about six feet long"

    similar: calculate, call, conjecture, estimate, figure, gauge, guess, judge, place, put, reckon, suppose
    related: conclude, deduce, extrapolate, gather, infer, reason, understand
    near: calibrate, measure, scale, compute, work out

  7. to form by putting together parts or materials

    "make a model airplane"

    similar: assemble, build, confect, construct, erect, fabricate, make up, piece, put up, raise, rear, set up, put together
    related: carpenter, fashion, forge, frame, hammer, handcraft, manufacture, mold, produce, shape, prefabricate, begin, coin, create, generate, inaugurate, initiate, innovate, invent, originate, constitute, establish, father, found, institute, organize, conceive, concoct, contrive, cook (up), design, devise, imagine, think (up), reassemble, rebuild, reconstruct, redevelop, reedify (British), retrofit, jerry-build, rig (up), throw up, combine, unite
    opposite: demount, disassemble, dismantle, dismember, knock down, strike, take down, tear down
    near: demolish, destroy, devastate, flatten, level, pull down, pulverize, raze, ruin, ruinate, shatter, smash, wreck, blow up, explode, detach, disengage, disconnect, disjoin, disunite, divide, separate

  8. to give the impression of being

    "the family made merry despite their financial worries"

    similar: act, appear, come across (as), come off (as), feel, look, seem, sound
    related: dissemble, pretend, recall, resemble, suggest, hint, imply, insinuate

  9. to go on a specified course or in a certain direction

    "the baby made straight for the toy lying on the rug"

    similar: bear, head
    related: aim, bend, direct, point, turn, beeline, light out, put, put out, set off, set out, strike, take off, face, orient, steer, about-face, back, come about, come round, cut, incline, put about, reverse, swerve, tack, turn back, veer, wheel, yaw

  10. to put into effect through legislative or authoritative action

    "the legislature failed to make any new laws last session"

    similar: constitute, enact, lay down, legislate, ordain, pass
    related: reenact, repass, bring about, effect, allow, authorize, permit, sanction, decree, dictate, proclaim, administer, execute, approve, confirm, ratify
    opposite: repeal, rescind, revoke
    near: abolish, abrogate, annul, cancel, invalidate, kill, nullify, overturn, reverse, void

  11. to receive as return for effort

    "I make considerably more money now than I did when I first started working here"

    similar: acquire, attain, bag, bring in, capture, carry, come by, draw, earn, gain, garner, get, knock down, land, obtain, procure, pull down, realize, reap, secure, win
    related: clear, gross, net, accomplish, achieve, notch (up), score, accumulate, amass, rack up, catch, pick up, annex, occupy, take over, reacquire, reattain, recapture, regain, remake
    opposite: forfeit, lose
    near: accord, give, grant, pay, give up, hand over, part (with), relinquish, surrender, yield

  12. to have a clear idea of

    "what do you make of the latest information?"

    similar: appreciate, apprehend, assimilate, behold, catch, catch on (to), cognize, compass, comprehend, conceive, cotton (to or on to), decipher, decode, dig, discern, get, grasp, grok, intuit, know, make out, perceive, recognize, register, savvy, see, seize, sense, tumble (to), twig, understand, pick up on
    related: absorb, digest, take in, realize, fathom, penetrate, pierce
    opposite: miss
    near: misapprehend, misconceive, misconstrue, misinterpret, misperceive, misread, mistake, misunderstand

  13. to position (something) so as to prevent passage through an opening

    "make the gate when ye leave"

    similar: close, shut, steek (chiefly Scottish)
    related: bar, batten (down), bolt, chain, fasten, latch, lock, plug, seal, stopper, secure, bang, clap, slam
    opposite: open
    near: unbar, unbolt, unchain, unfasten, unlatch, unlock, unseal

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Hay

The most common words with a similar meaning to Hay:

Slang: chicken feed
Chiefly British: doss
British dialect: lair
chump change, dime, mite, peanuts, pin money, pittance, shoestring, song, two cents, bed, bunk, kip, pad, rack, sack, cut, mow, glean, bag, capture, hunt, net, snare, trap, accumulate, forage, garner, crop, grow, raise, clam, fish, seal, shrimp, whale, gather, harvest, pick, reap

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Hay

Words with the opposite meaning of Hay:

big buck(s), boodle, bundle, fortune, king's ransom, megabuck(s), mint, wad, plant, seed, sow

Related Words for Hay

petty cash, pocket money, spending money, bedstead, futon, mattress, pallet, bunk bed, cot, couch, daybed, feather bed, four-poster, hammock, Murphy bed, shakedown, sleigh bed, sofa, sofa bed, studio couch, trundle bed, water bed, bassinet, carry-cot, cradle, crib

Near Antonyms of Hay

bankroll, capital, funds, means, wherewithal, opulence, pelf, riches, treasure, wealth, heap, pile, pot, bonanza, mine, treasure trove, treasury

Word Forms of Hay

Inflections: hayed, haying, hays

Origin & Etymology of Hay

Middle English hey, from Old English hīeg; akin to Old High German hewi hay, Old English hēawan to hew

First known use: before 12th century

Words & Phrases Containing Hay

hay fever, hay-scented fern, hit the hay, make hay, ain't hay, a roll in the hay

Frequently Asked Questions about Hay

What does "Hay" mean?

"Hay" means herbage and especially grass mowed and cured for fodder. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: herbage and especially grass mowed and cured for fodder. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Hay"?

Other words for "Hay" include chicken feed, chump change, dime, mite, peanuts, pin money, pittance and shoestring. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Hay" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Hay"?

There are 68 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Hay". Common alternatives include chicken feed, chump change, dime, mite, peanuts, pin money, pittance, shoestring, song and two cents.

What is the opposite of "Hay"?

Antonyms of "Hay" include big buck(s), boodle, bundle, fortune, king's ransom, megabuck(s), mint and wad. Near antonyms include bankroll, capital, funds and means.

How do you use "Hay" in a sentence?

Examples of "Hay" in a sentence: "their credit card debt isn't hay—it'll take years to pay it off"; "dragging myself out of the hay on such a cold, dreary morning seemed like an act of sheer masochism".

Is "Hay" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Hay" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Hay"?

"Hay" is pronounced /ˈhā/.

What is the origin of the word "Hay"?

"Hay" comes from Middle English hey, from Old English hīeg; akin to Old High German hewi hay, Old English hēawan to hew. First known use: before 12th century.