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

"The hours kept adding on and adding on, and I was getting more and more upset and frustrated. I was cold as well because I was lying on the ground."

From BBC

"What makes me the most angry is it's lying to women, and as part of that lie, saying, 'just suffer through it,'" she said.

From BBC

The court heard the officers found a sword and a large knife lying on the bed and recovered two crossbows.

From BBC

When I started talking about my family, I mentioned squatting in a diner a lot throughout my career, but people still think that I’m lying about it.

From Los Angeles Times

Anyone claiming to know for sure is either lying, trying to frighten you into giving money, or both.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• misleading