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.
“I said if there’s a screw lying on the ground, take it, if there’s a canvas tent, take it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
Earlier this year, a former Fed staff member, John Rogers, was sentenced to more than three years in prison for lying to investigators about sharing restricted Fed information with Chinese operatives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Fatma Mohammed Saleh was lying on an empty rice sack outside another family's tent.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Don’t leave computer passwords lying around, and they should not be easy to guess.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Mom is a lying liar who lies all the time.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
