lying

¹

[lahy-ing]

noun

1. the telling of lies, or false statements; untruthfulness.

   From boyhood, he has never been good at lying.

   Synonyms: prevarication, mendacity, falsity, falsehood
   Antonyms: veracity, truth

adjective

1. telling or containing lies; deliberately untruthful; deceitful; false.

   a lying report.

   Synonyms: counterfeit, sham, fallacious, mendacious, misleading, deceptive
   Antonyms: trustworthy, accurate, correct, actual, candid, true

lying

²

[lahy-ing]

verb

1. present participle of lie.

lying

¹

/ ˈlaɪɪŋ /

verb

1. the present participle and gerund of lie 1

lying

²

/ ˈlaɪɪŋ /

verb

1. the present participle and gerund of lie 2

Other Word Forms

• lyingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of lying¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English; lie ¹, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

He wants a mean girl to be his enforcer, someone who can bring sorority president energy to the task of lying and helping him break the law.

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“What the president is saying, he’s lying,” Newsom said at a recent event.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Police said they were alerted to the shooting and on arrival at the scene discovered the body of a man believed to be in his 30s lying on his side with a gunshot wound.

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In the spring of 2025, the armed branch of Hamas published a video in which Herkin appeared lying down and apparently injured, his head and left arm covered in brown stained bandages.

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By trying to excuse Republicans’ grotesque assaults on health care and suggesting they are actually trying to preserve it, Johnson is outright lying now.

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Related Words

• misleading