1To spread something out flat, such as a futon, sheet, or mat — commonly used when preparing to sleep or sit.
夜になったら床に布団を敷いて寝る。
At night, I spread out a futon on the floor and sleep.
ピクニックのためにレジャーシートを敷いた。
We laid out a picnic sheet for our outing.
床にラグを敷くと部屋の雰囲気が変わる。
Laying a rug on the floor changes the whole feel of the room.
テーブルにクロスを敷いてから料理を並べた。
I spread a tablecloth over the table before setting out the dishes.
2To lay down or place cushions, such as zabuton — e.g., "to put out zabuton cushions."
座布団を四つ並べて床に敷いてください。
Please line up four zabuton cushions and lay them on the floor.
法事のために座敷に座布団をきれいに敷いた。
For the memorial service, we neatly laid out zabuton cushions in the tatami room.
3To impose or promulgate something widely, such as martial law or a set of regulations — a somewhat formal usage.
政府は治安維持のために一時的に戒厳令を敷いた。
The government temporarily imposed martial law to maintain public order.
新しい安全規則が工場に敷かれた。
New safety regulations were put in place at the factory.
4Figuratively, to dominate or keep someone under control — most often seen in the idiom 尻に敷く, meaning to be "under someone's thumb" (typically a spouse).
彼は妻に尻に敷かれているとよく冗談を言う。
He often jokes that his wife has him under her thumb.
彼女は主人を尻に敷いて家庭を仕切っている。
She dominates her husband and runs the household.
5To lay down infrastructure such as railway tracks, cables, or pipes — used in the context of construction and infrastructure.
新幹線の線路を敷く作業は慎重に進められている。
The work of laying the Shinkansen tracks is proceeding carefully.
街路の地下に光ファイバーケーブルを敷いた。
We laid fiber-optic cables underneath the city streets.
6A somewhat formal expression meaning to deploy troops, guards, or personnel.
国境付近に兵力を敷いたと報じられた。
It was reported that troops had been deployed near the border.
重要拠点に警備隊を敷いて警戒を強めた。
Security forces were deployed at key locations to heighten vigilance.
7(Literary/poetic, intransitive) Describes snow, frost, etc. spreading over and covering an area.
朝、庭は霜に敷かれて白く輝いていた。
In the morning, the garden lay under a blanket of frost, gleaming white.
冬になると村は雪に敷かれ、静かな景色になる。
When winter comes, the village is blanketed in snow, becoming a quiet scene.