lip service

American  

noun

1. insincere expression of friendship, admiration, support, etc.; service by words only.

   He paid only lip service to the dictator.

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lip service British  

noun

1. insincere support or respect expressed but not put into practice

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lip service Cultural  

1. Insincere agreement; to “pay lip service” is to consent in one's words while dissenting in one's heart: “The boss's support of affirmative action was merely paying lip service; he never committed himself to it in any substantial way.”

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lip service Idioms  

1. Verbal but insincere expression of agreement or support. It is often put as, as in They paid lip service to holding an election next year, but they had no intention of doing so. [Mid-1600s]

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Other Word Forms

• lip server
  noun

Etymology

Origin of lip service

First recorded in 1635–45

Example Sentences

But worse than the price hikes is the unsettling feeling that consumers are being gaslit by tech giants paying lip service to the gaming community while delaying product releases or peddling AI-generated “slop.”

From MarketWatch • May 23, 2026

Presidents historically have at least paid lip service to the idea that they are supposed to consult Congress before launching a military action.

From Salon • Mar. 16, 2026

We’ve had some changes on campuses, at least lip service being paid to more viewpoint diversity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the cycle of "paying lip service to the potential of the North" had to end.

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2026

It is not enough to give lip service and to believe in equal pay: there has to be a conversion, from the heart.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood