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• lie
  lie

  noun

  a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth.
• Lie
  Lie

  noun

  Jonas, 1880–1940, U.S. painter, born in Norway.

lie

¹ American  

[lahy] / laɪ /

noun

1. a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth.

   Synonyms:

   prevarication

   Antonyms:

   truth

2. something intended or serving to convey a false impression; imposture.

   His flashy car was a lie that deceived no one.

3. an inaccurate or untrue statement; falsehood.

   When I went to school, history books were full of lies, and I won't teach lies to kids.

4. the charge or accusation of telling a lie.

   He flung the lie back at his accusers.

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verb (used without object)

lied, lying

1. to speak falsely or utter untruth knowingly, as with intent to deceive.

   Synonyms:

   fib, prevaricate

2. to express what is false; convey a false impression.

verb (used with object)

lied, lying

1. to bring about or affect by lying (often used reflexively).

   to lie oneself out of a difficulty; accustomed to lying his way out of difficulties.

idioms

1. give the lie to,

   1. to accuse of lying; contradict.

   2. to prove or imply the falsity of; belie.

      His poor work gives the lie to his claims of experience.

2. lie in one's throat / teeth, to lie grossly or maliciously: Also lie through one's teeth.

   If she told you exactly the opposite of what she told me, she must be lying in her teeth.

lie ² American  

[lahy] / laɪ /

verb (used without object)

lay, lain, lying

1. to be in a horizontal, recumbent, or prostrate position, as on a bed or the ground; recline.

   Antonyms:

   stand

2. (of objects) to rest in a horizontal or flat position.

   The book lies on the table.

3. to be or remain in a position or state of inactivity, subjection, restraint, concealment, etc..

   to lie in ambush.

4. to rest, press, or weigh (usually followed by on orupon ).

   These things lie upon my mind.

5. to depend (usually followed by on orupon ).

6. to be placed or situated.

   land lying along the coast.

7. to be stretched out or extended.

   the broad plain that lies before us.

8. to be in or have a specified direction; extend.

   The trail from here lies to the west.

9. to be found or located in a particular area or place.

   The fault lies here.

10. to consist or be grounded (usually followed byin ).

    The real remedy lies in education.

11. to be buried in a particular spot.

    Their ancestors lie in the family plot.

12. Law. to be sustainable or admissible, as an action or appeal.

13. Archaic. to lodge; stay the night; sojourn.

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noun

1. the manner, relative position, or direction in which something lies.

   the lie of the patio, facing the water.

   Synonyms:

   site, position, situation

2. the haunt or covert of an animal.

3. Golf. the position of the ball relative to how easy or how difficult it is to play.

verb phrase

1. lie in

   1. to be confined to bed in childbirth.

   2. Chiefly British. to stay in bed longer than usual, especially in the morning.

2. lie with

   1. to be the duty or function of.

      The decision in this matter lies with him.

   2. Archaic. to have sexual intercourse with.

3. lie up

   1. to lie at rest; stay in bed.

   2. (of a ship) to dock or remain in dock.

4. lie over to be postponed for attention or action at some future time.

   The other business on the agenda will have to lie over until the next meeting.

5. lie down to assume a horizontal or prostrate position, as for the purpose of resting.

6. lie by

   1. to pause for rest; stop activities, work, etc., temporarily.

   2. to lie unused.

      Ever since the last member of the family died, the old house has lain by.

idioms

1. take lying down, to hear or yield without protest, contradiction, or resistance.

   I refuse to take such an insult lying down.

2. lie to, (of a ship) to lie comparatively stationary, usually with the head as near the wind as possible.

3. lie in state. state.

4. lie low. low.

5. lie down on the job, to do less than one could or should do; shirk one's obligations.

   I don't know why they haven't fired that guy—he's always lying down on the job.

Lie ³ American  

[lee] / li /

noun

1. Jonas, 1880–1940, U.S. painter, born in Norway.

2. (Marius) Sophus 1842–99, Norwegian mathematician.

3. Trygve Halvdan 1896–1968, Norwegian statesman: secretary-general of the United Nations 1946–53.

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lie ¹ British  

/ laɪ /

verb

1. (often foll by down) to place oneself or be in a prostrate position, horizontal to the ground

2. to be situated, esp on a horizontal surface

   the pencil is lying on the desk

   India lies to the south of Russia

3. to be buried

   here lies Jane Brown

4. (copula) to be and remain (in a particular state or condition)

   to lie dormant

5. to stretch or extend

   the city lies before us

6. to rest or weigh

   my sins lie heavily on my mind

7. (usually foll by in) to exist or consist inherently

   strength lies in unity

8. (foll by with)

   1. to be or rest (with)

      the ultimate decision lies with you

   2. archaic to have sexual intercourse (with)

9. (of an action, claim, appeal, etc) to subsist; be maintainable or admissible

10. archaic to stay temporarily

11. See state

12. 1. to keep or be concealed or quiet

    2. to wait for a favourable opportunity

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noun

1. the manner, place, or style in which something is situated

2. the hiding place or lair of an animal

3. golf

   1. the position of the ball after a shot

      a bad lie

   2. the angle made by the shaft of the club before the upswing

4. 1. the topography of the land

   2. the way in which a situation is developing or people are behaving

lie ² British  

/ laɪ /

verb

1. (intr) to speak untruthfully with intent to mislead or deceive

2. (intr) to convey a false impression or practise deception

   the camera does not lie

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noun

1. an untrue or deceptive statement deliberately used to mislead

2. something that is deliberately intended to deceive

3. 1. to disprove

   2. to accuse of lying

Lie ³ British  

/ liː /

noun

1. Trygve Halvdan (ˈtryɡvə ˈhalðan). 1896–1968, Norwegian statesman; first secretary-general of the United Nations (1946–52)

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lie More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing lie

• (lie) in state
• barefaced lie
• give the lie to
• lay of the land (how the land lies)
• let sleeping dogs lie
• make one's bed and lie in it
• take lying down
• white lie

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Usage

What's the difference between lie and lay? The sense of lie that’s often confused with lay means to be in or get into a reclining position—to recline, as in I just want to lie in bed for a few more minutes. Lay commonly means to put or place someone or something down, as in Lay the bags on the table or I’m going to lay the baby in the crib. Though it’s considered nonstandard, lay is commonly used to mean the same thing as this sense of lie, as in I just want to lay in bed for a few more minutes. The confusion between the two words is largely due to the fact that lay is also the past tense form of this sense of lie, as in I lay in bed yesterday morning wishing I could go back to sleep. The other tenses of this sense of lie are lain, as in I have lain in bed for the past three hours, and lying, as in I am lying in bed right now. (In contrast, when lie is used as a verb meaning to tell an untruth, its past tense is simply lied.)The other tenses of lay are laid, as in I laid the bags on the table, and laying, as in Start laying the fruit here and the vegetables there. Lay is typically used with an object, meaning someone or something is getting laid down by someone. In contrast, lie is something you do yourself without any other recipients of the action. This sense of lie is commonly used in the verb phrase lie down, as in I was feeling tired so I decided to lie down. Using the phrase lay down to mean the same thing is considered nonstandard, but it’s also very common. Lay down is also used as a verb phrase meaning about the same thing as lay, as in You can lay down your bags on the table (or You can lay your bags down on the table). Although lay and lie are often used interchangeably in casual communication, it’s best to use them in the standard way in more formal contexts. A good way to remember which one to use is to think about whether you could replace the word with put or recline. If you can replace it with put, you probably want to use lay, as in Please lay (put) the bags on the table. If you could replace the word with recline, you probably want to use lie, as in I just want to lie (recline) in bed for a few more minutes. Here’s an example of lay and lie used correctly in the same sentence. Example: He said he was just going to lay the blanket on the grass and lie on it for a few minutes, but he lied. After he laid the blanket down, he lay on it for two hours!Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between lie and lay.

Commonly Confused

See lay ¹.

Synonym Usage

See falsehood.

Etymology

Origin of lie¹

First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English leye, lighe; Old English lyge, lige; cognate with German Lüge, Old Norse lygi; akin to Gothic liugn; (verb) Middle English lien, ligen, leie, Old English lēogan (intransitive); cognate with German lügen, Old Norse ljūga, Gothic liugan

Origin of lie²

First recorded before 900; Middle English lien, liggen, Old English licgan; cognate with German liegen, Dutch liggen, Old Norse liggja, Gothic ligan; akin to Greek léchesthai “to lie down”

Explanation

When you don't tell the truth, you lie. You also lie down when you're sleepy and wonder what lies ahead of you. If we leave aside the lie that is an untruth, most meanings of lie are related. If something lies ahead of us, then it's there, down the road, waiting for us. If mountains lie to the east, we can think of them as having settled down there. If something lies unused, it is just sort of left to lie on the shelf (or wherever). If you let a sleeping dog lie, you're just letting him be right where he is — in the same position.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lie Lie lain lay lied lying

Scientists have uncovered a surprising clue that may lie not in the genes themselves, but in the way DNA is folded and arranged inside cells.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

Moore reminds us why we lie awake at night, convincing ourselves there might be more to life.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

Several events through the week will focus on AI's impact, including in developing countries that may not be exposed to its economic benefits as they lie outside its supply chains.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

But the world champions have slipped from competitiveness in recent races, and before the Singapore Grand Prix they lie in third place in the constructors' championship, only 11 points ahead of Red Bull.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

But I can’t lie to her, and at least my words might help to open those innocent eyes of hers to the reality of our lives.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

It’s this British game show called “Would I Lie to You?” and unfailingly it makes me laugh.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Popular series covered by the agreements include Vanity Fair's "Lie Detector," BuzzFeed's "30 Questions" and Variety's "Know Their Lines?"

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

Other backward glances include “As You Lie There,” a fantasy about a teenage crush that never blossomed into a romance, and “Salesman Saint,” a paean to Mr. McCartney’s parents’ coping with life in postwar Liverpool.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

"One of my recent tricks is to find any weird chord that may intrigue me," plucking the opening notes of As You Lie There on an acoustic guitar.

From BBC ● May 27, 2026

“All right. You can see them. Lie down.”

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

Someone close to us had died along the shoulder of a highway and had lain unnamed for more than 40 years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025

A rich copper belt in the north of the country has lain fallow since Macri crashed and burned in 2018.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2025

If being replaced by Nat Sciver-Brunt meant one part of Knight's identity was lost, there was another that had lain dormant, ready to be revived and unleashed.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2025

It contains 23 homes – 10 of which have lain empty in recent years.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2025

If it had been that easy, the sword would have lain on the ground for him to pick up, not in the depths of a frozen pool.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

A woman was close by talking to him, she said, before "he jumped in and crawled in front of the tiger, where the tiger was perched and just lay there".

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

“You take a piece of electronics and lay it out on a hot rock in 109 degree temperatures and try and make it work,” said Lt.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

Guinea-Bissau's junta leader General Horta N'Tam urged members of the presidential guard loyal to exiled former president Umaro Sissoco Embalo to voluntarily lay down their weapons on Wednesday.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

Heavy precipitation can also derail the soil compaction process, where crews lay down the soil in layers and go over each with a construction vehicle known as a roller.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

Suddenly, the clouds at the end of the ravine parted, and Torak saw what lay beyond.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Prosecutors said he repeatedly lied to her children, family, friends and neighbours, claiming she was in hospital recovering from an illness and that only he was able to visit her.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

In court documents, prosecutors said Rush had also lied about his educational and professional background before joining the CIA, including a false claim that he had been a US military pilot.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

In one case, a deputy lied to get a warrant, falsely claiming he needed to track E.Z.’s cellphone as part of a firearms investigation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

He lied to Loui about having law degrees from both the University of California, Los Angeles and New York University.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

Finally, he was important enough to be lied to.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

Tried to get on the ball in deep lying midfield role.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

The defendant, who was convicted last year on 21 counts of extortion, bribery, conspiracy and lying to the FBI, was nearly 5,000 miles away in northern Greece.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

In a further clip released by West Midlands Police, Day is seen wearing a Dexter-style khaki top while lying on a bed at Dudley's Russells Hall Hospital where he was arrested at 03:42.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

They could answer any question about the past, present or future and were incapable of lying.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

I felt a twinge of guilt for lying to him.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• deceit
• deception
• dishonesty
• disinformation
• distortion
• evasion
• fabrication
• falsehood
• fiction
• forgery
• inaccuracy
• misrepresentation
• myth
• perjury
• slander
• tale