lying

¹ American  

[lahy-ing] / ˈlaɪ ɪŋ /

noun

1. the telling of lies, or false statements; untruthfulness.

   From boyhood, he has never been good at lying.

   Synonyms:

   prevarication, mendacity, falsity, falsehood

   Antonyms:

   veracity, truth

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adjective

1. telling or containing lies; deliberately untruthful; deceitful; false.

   a lying report.

   Synonyms:

   counterfeit, sham, fallacious, mendacious, misleading, deceptive

   Antonyms:

   trustworthy, accurate, correct, actual, candid, true

lying ² American  

[lahy-ing] / ˈlaɪ ɪŋ /

verb

1. present participle of lie.

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lying ¹ British  

/ ˈlaɪɪŋ /

verb

1. the present participle and gerund of lie 1

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lying ² British  

/ ˈlaɪɪŋ /

verb

1. the present participle and gerund of lie 2

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Other Word Forms

• lyingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of lying

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English; see origin at lie ¹, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Explanation

If you engage in lying, you're fabricating, prevaricating, or speaking falsely. You are deliberately deviating from the truth. If lying is the act of telling a lie, then "lying through your teeth" is the act of telling a bold lie, even if you know your listener will immediately know you're lying. Descended from a line in a Marx Brothers film, "Who you gonna believe, me or your lying eyes?" is spoken (ironically) by someone who's been caught lying and, instead of admitting it, says the evidence is wrong, as well as the person who's looking right at it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lying

The movie shows this discovery as a tender moment, with only a few days passing and Almásy lying next to Katharine’s recently deceased body, stroking her hair.

From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026

"I work close to the Legacy premises... and drive past it every day. Knowing now that mum was lying inside for almost eight months destroys me," he said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

A jury convicted Goldstein in February on 12 charges, including failing to report millions of dollars in poker winnings and lying to lenders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Prosecutors said the gardener entered the house via the open front door on 9 July, and found Widdecombe lying face down on her kitchen floor with a serious head injury.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

“I wasn’t lying about being an Usher. I was lying about you being destined to enter the Afterlife tonight. The truth is… it’s the one night a soul should not enter the Afterlife.”

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Related Words

• misleading