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Synonyms

lie-in

1 American  
[lahy-in] / ˈlaɪˌɪn /

noun

  1. a protest demonstration in which participants lie down in a public place against regulations and resist being moved.


lie-in 2 American  
[lahy-in] / ˈlaɪˌɪn /

noun

Chiefly British.
  1. an act or instance of staying in bed longer than usual, especially in the morning.


lie in British  

verb

  1. to remain in bed late in the morning

  2. to be confined in childbirth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a long stay in bed in the morning

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
lie in Idioms  
  1. 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]

  2. 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 .


Etymology

Origin of lie-in1

First recorded in 1960–65; lie 2, -in 3

Origin of lie-in2

First recorded in 1865–70; noun use of verb phrase lie in

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This is a slight lie-in compared to Australia two weeks ago, I suppose.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2024

Mr Livingstone says the pandas are usually a bit lazy and like a lie-in in the morning so he has been gradually bringing forward their wake-up time to get them used to earlier starts.

From BBC • Dec. 4, 2023

He likes the lie-in, too, because it annoys the wrong people.

From New York Times • Apr. 20, 2020

Even at their busiest, Suuronen did not employ more than a dozen people and each started work at 10am, thanks to the boss’s fondness for a lie-in.

From The Guardian • Aug. 22, 2018

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