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

If the music world is decamping from London again this week, then it needs to "give back to the community", she adds, and not just pay it "lip service".

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Can any of us ever pay more than lip service to peace?

From Salon • Feb. 13, 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

Preparing Americans for this change can’t be just lip service with no follow-through.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 6, 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