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

---

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.

---

lying ¹ British  

/ ˈlaɪɪŋ /

verb

1. the present participle and gerund of lie 1

---

lying ² British  

/ ˈlaɪɪŋ /

verb

1. the present participle and gerund of lie 2

---

Other Word Forms

• lyingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of lying

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

Example Sentences

“Talk,” she says, lying back down on her pillow.

From Literature

“It was the strangest thing…,” he said, lying in the mossy garden, watching the leaves tickle the bitter blue sky.

From Literature

Or will he be lying low, as he has done when previous car crashes have revealed a troubled side to his life?

From BBC

The building itself, which was part of a school in Accra's New Town area, was being used despite lying unfinished for several years, according to locals.

From BBC

I had an iPhone and therefore I had a fitness app; its built-in ring was lying in wait.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• misleading