lip-sync
Americanverb (used with or without object)
-
to synchronize (recorded sound) with lip movements, as of an actor in a film.
-
to match lip movements with (recorded speech or singing).
She did a clumsy job of lip-syncing her big song.
noun
-
the technical process by which this is done.
-
the simultaneous recording of voice and picture, especially the synchronization of lip movements with recorded sound.
Etymology
Origin of lip-sync
First recorded in 1960–65
Explanation
To lip-sync is to silently mouth the words along with a song or some other recording. So grab a candlestick, crank the music, and lip-sync while you bust moves around the living room like Tom Cruise in "Risky Business." Sync here is short for synchronization, from the Greek synkhronizein, "occur at the same time." Synchronization was first used in the movie biz, referring to getting the pictures and sound matched up. Still, actors often lip-sync — if it's done well, it looks like it's the actor who's singing. Bollywood films are almost always made this way. The best part of lip-syncing is the dance moves.
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.
In India, playback singing is central to popular cinema: singers record songs that actors lip-sync on screen, while the composers usually also create the film's background score.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
This specifically referenced incidents such as refusing to lip-sync live or alter song lyrics.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2025
“If it’s a deepfake scam, you’ll often notice subtle irregularities like lip-sync mismatch, unnatural pauses while speaking and weird facial movements. You can catch these by analyzing the video frame by frame,” he said.
From Salon • Apr. 2, 2025
He also worked as a playback singer, the term for a vocalist who recorded tracks offscreen for actors to lip-sync over.
From New York Times • Feb. 27, 2024
As actors lip-sync along to the actual recordings, cracks appear in the story, and that’s where things gets interesting.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2023
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
