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

• lyingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of lying

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

Example Sentences

Oh yeah, “Baghdad Bob,” Iraq’s lying former information minister: “Today, the tide has turned, we are destroying them.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Toni Jaramilla, the attorney for Cowser, said in a written statement that the police department “failed to correct the false narrative” even when videos proved the officer was lying.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

The number of satellites lying 100 to 1,200 miles beyond the Earth’s surface is expected to increase from about 11,000 presently to roughly 130,000 by 2035, Stein noted.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

Or will he be lying low, as he has done when previous car crashes have revealed a troubled side to his life?

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

I was lying because I had my own doubts.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• misleading