lying
1 Americannoun
adjective
verb
verb
verb
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing lying
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.
Now every night, the roofs, parks, and porches of Havana fill with people lying on cardboard, mattresses, or directly on the ground.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Robert, the accused psychologist, is lying about something.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
“I said, ‘I think I have a bass at home,’ but I was lying… I didn’t know nothing,” Díaz said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
You can see why Wall Street salesmen are lying to you.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
He found an old corn cob lying by the side of the road and started playing with it.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
