to remain in bed late in the morning
to be confined in childbirth
Be in confinement for childbirth, as in She thought she'd be lying in by next week . This usage is probably dying out. The name of Boston's Lying-In Hospital was changed to Women's Hospital in the 1970s. [Mid-1400s]
Also, . Rest or depend on something or someone, as in The solution lies in research , or The decision lies in the President's hands , or It does not lie in my power to turn this situation around . [Mid-1300s] Also see lie in wait ; lie through one's teeth .
First recorded in 1960–65; see origin at lie 2, -in 3
First recorded in 1865–70; noun use of verb phrase lie in
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some people used the Easter Monday bank holiday as a chance to have a much-needed lie-in.
From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2025
This is a slight lie-in compared to Australia two weeks ago, I suppose.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2024
"I'd rather have a lie-in and eat some donuts", the 21-year-old marketing executive from Kent explains.
From BBC ● May 2, 2023
He likes the lie-in, too, because it annoys the wrong people.
From New York Times ● Apr. 20, 2020
Captain M'Lean's house being in some confusion, on account of Mrs M'Lean being expected to lie-in, we resolved to go to Mr M'Sweyn's, where we arrived very wet, fatigued, and hungry.
From The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson, LL.D. by Boswell, James
Interestingly, the actual reason may also lie in the very qualities that have made him a phenomenon.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
The researchers suggest that the answer may lie in the geometry of a higher dimensional universe.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026
The coffin will lie in state there until Monday, when a procession will pass through Tehran.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
Its rotting parts lie in the grass near a city sewage treatment plant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
The answer may lie in the long struggle to get the copyrights back from Fabyan.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
