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

By trying to excuse Republicans’ grotesque assaults on health care and suggesting they are actually trying to preserve it, Johnson is outright lying now.

Read more on Salon

"Look at how the food is lying on the ground. Look! People and cars are trampling it."

Read more on Barron's

In one haunting experience, an injured boy lying on the ground reached for Perlmutter’s leg, too weak to talk.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

For many nature enthusiasts, few scenes are as distressing as finding a stranded whale or dolphin lying helpless on the beach.

Read more on Science Daily

Next to him, Yuriy, lying under a survival blanket, forced a smile.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• misleading