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

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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.

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lying ¹ British  

/ ˈlaɪɪŋ /

verb

1. the present participle and gerund of lie 1

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lying ² British  

/ ˈlaɪɪŋ /

verb

1. the present participle and gerund of lie 2

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• lyingly
  adverb

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.

Example Sentences

After calling the vest-adorned dog on stage and joking that she would bite Clark, he bellowed, “Is she lying, too?”

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026

“Obviously I would be lying to say I wasn’t disappointed. I would have loved to have made the cut today, granted all day,” Wie West said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

In the footage a police officer arriving at the scene can be heard asking: "What's your name, mate?" before Nowak, who is lying on his back on the ground, faintly replies: "Henry."

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

In 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission received a whistle-blower complaint alleging that RAD was lying to investors about the value of its property holdings, the Philadelphia Inquirer has reported.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

Promising in a foreign language feels less like lying.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Related Words

• misleading