lying

¹

[lahy-ing]

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

[lahy-ing]

verb

1. present participle of lie.

lying

¹

/ ˈlaɪɪŋ /

verb

1. the present participle and gerund of lie 1

lying

²

/ ˈlaɪɪŋ /

verb

1. the present participle and gerund of lie 2

Other Word Forms

• lyingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of lying¹

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

Example Sentences

Now he’s lying to himself that his exile was football was in fact a good thing.

From Los Angeles Times

In a statement, Galloway's party condemned what it described as "politically motivated intimidation" and said freedom of speech is lying "on the scrap heap".

From BBC

Comey is accused of lying about authorizing a leak to the media about an FBI investigation through an anonymous source.

From Los Angeles Times

She also said the cemetery was left in a pitiful condition, with bottles and cans left lying around.

From BBC

"The hours kept adding on and adding on, and I was getting more and more upset and frustrated. I was cold as well because I was lying on the ground."

From BBC

Related Words

• misleading