Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for lie-down. Search instead for liedown.
Jump To:
  • lie-down
    lie-down
    noun
    a nap.
  • lie down
    lie down
    verb
    to place oneself or be in a prostrate position in order to rest or sleep
Synonyms

lie-down

American  
[lahy-doun] / ˈlaɪˌdaʊn /

noun

Chiefly British.
  • lie-downs
    plural
  1. a nap.


lie down British  

verb

  1. to place oneself or be in a prostrate position in order to rest or sleep

  2. to accept without protest or opposition (esp in the phrases lie down under, take something lying down )

"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 rest

"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 down Idioms  
  1. Also, lie down on the job. Be remiss or lazy. For example, They fired Max because he was always lying down on the job. This expression alludes to lying down in the sense of “resting.” [Early 1900s]


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of lie-down

First recorded in 1830–40; noun use of verb phrase lie down

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.

See Examples For:

Cusi’s mom endorsed a lie-down whenever one had been on their feet too long, or the world had become too much.

From New York Times Feb. 17, 2024

It has a seating capacity of 288, with many oversized seats and 28 first-class pods with lie-down seats.

From Seattle Times Dec. 17, 2021

When she went upstairs to have a lie-down, it wasn't long before she was woken up by the huge racket coming from downstairs.

From BBC Jul. 12, 2020

Today I thought I’d just take a lie-down, and drift.

From The New Yorker Dec. 25, 2019

"May we see the horses, Mike—are they having their lie-down, or anything?"

From Thoroughbreds by William Alexander Fraser

This forgettable effort is destined to lie down next to it.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 10, 2026

“What is that?” he said, holding a corner of the comforter aloft, staring intently at something located where he had been about to lie down.

From Slate Aug. 6, 2026

“So then they asked me to walk down this beach, and every 10 minutes you’d hear ‘Rolling!’ and I’d have to lie down and hide behind these dunes.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 24, 2026

"Our family would lie down and look at various places on the Moon that he would identify based on his mapping and his study guides," she said.

From Barron's Apr. 9, 2026

I lie down on its scratchy surface and then sit up again.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

From sit-ins at the school board headquarters, demonstrators went on to lie-downs in front of "Willis Wagons," mobile classrooms that are sent into neighborhoods with crowded schools.

From Time Magazine Archive

Primarily, it is the business faculty that is developed in all lie-downs of Australian life.

From The Awful Australian by Valerie Desmond

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training