Meaning
In British English, a lay-by is a small area or short strip beside a road where a vehicle can pull out of the traffic flow and stop for a time.
How it is used
Cambridge Dictionary labels the road sense of lay-by as UK English and defines it as a roadside place where a vehicle can stop briefly without interrupting other traffic. Collins independently labels the road sense British and compares it with American pull-off or turn-out. The same spelling also has unrelated regional and specialist senses.
Examples
- “We pulled into a lay-by to check the map.”
- “There's a lay-by a little farther along the road.”
- “The van was parked in the lay-by.”
Pronunciation
/ˈleɪ.baɪ/ · LAY-bye
Tone and register
Neutral and standard British road vocabulary. Lay-by is not slang in this sense.
Visitor guidance
Visitors can understand lay-by as a roadside pull-off or stopping area, but should not assume it is a staffed rest area, service area, parking facility, or safe place for every purpose. Whether stopping, parking, sleeping, or leaving a vehicle is permitted depends on current signs, road rules, restrictions, and local conditions.
Cultural context
Lay-by is practical British driving vocabulary because it appears in directions, traffic reports, rural-road descriptions, navigation, and conversation. It often refers to a modest roadside stopping space rather than the larger service facilities a visitor might associate with a motorway rest area.
Places represented
Open the reviewed place guide for each regional sense carried by this canonical entry.