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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

She points to the Watershed and Arnolfini, who offer beanbags and yoga mats to lie down on during screenings and in the gallery space.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Tourtsakis had me lie down and shuffle upward until the pyramid’s center was over my hips.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

But in the massive potential power shortfall lie ample opportunities for investors, according to Byrd.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

“In addition to it sounding exquisite, I’m not gonna lie, it also tore visually and symbolically.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

Mom’s voice cracked on the word school, and Jonah decided this was nothing like those times she tried to catch him or Katherine in a lie.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

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

The spoken introduction to “As You Lie There”—“I used to walk past your house / Every night I’d look up at your window”—is pure Shangri-Las.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

“The Boys of Dungeon Lane” begins with “As You Lie There,” his fond remembrances about a schoolboy crush.

From Salon ● May 12, 2026

Shakira, who has two sons from a former relationship with ex-Spain and Barcelona defender Gerard Pique, also sang Hips Don't Lie at the 2006 closing ceremony in Germany.

From BBC ● May 7, 2026

He hobbles along the streets calling, Anna Lie Sweets Lie, which doesn’t sound a bit like Limerick Leader and it doesn’t matter because everyone knows this is Ab Sheehan that was dropped on his head.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

Buildings that had lain dormant for years were suddenly filled with music and dance.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

"Maybe I should have lain down on the floor to block it. I personally regret it," he said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

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

Several blocks of maisonettes were demolished though, leaving behind land which has lain derelict for more than a decade.

From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2024

Alert, I passed through the dining-room to the stairs and proceeded up to the bedchambers, walking carefully with my bare feet lain upon the extreme edges of the steps, so that they might not squeak.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

On this week’s Amicus podcast, Dahlia Lithwick asked Sam Sankar, vice president of programs at Earthjustice, to lay out the stakes.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

During the three-month march, Hay said he once "lay down to die" after it became too painful to continue, but two friends turned back for him and lifted him with an "arm around each shoulder".

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

“My hope is to really get my energy and strength back. I don’t want to lay in bed all day. I want to be able to get up and do my things.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that he will meet his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng this weekend for talks expected to lay the groundwork for the White House summit.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

She lay her head back on her pillow, and was silent for a while.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

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

Prosecutors alleged she altered other women’s ultrasound images to make them look like hers, fabricated a pregnancy video, bought hormone injections that could affect pregnancy-test results and repeatedly lied under oath.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

“When he talks about a parent has a right to know now only if they ask, how do you know you’re being lied to or secrets being kept?,”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

"People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air."

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

“To see if that’s how my hero escapes from the bad guys,” Alex lied, because she knew that if they saw the island, they might forget her story.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr

Agents, records show, came to believe Hartman was lying about his role in Kao’s pay-to-play operation and would name him as a formal subject of a future investigation.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

The smallest craters that scientists can reliably detect in LRO images are around 30 feet across, about the length of a three-story building lying on its side.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

Roebuck was still lying on the tile floor, his stomach burning.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

"I don't know if he was lying or if he believed it himself," Conor says with a wry smile.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

There was a man lying stretched out in the hay, a man in a uniform, an unfamiliar blue uniform.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

Related Words

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