to remain in bed late in the morning
to be confined in childbirth
Be in confinement for childbirth, as in She thought she'd be lying in by next week . This usage is probably dying out. The name of Boston's Lying-In Hospital was changed to Women's Hospital in the 1970s. [Mid-1400s]
Also, . Rest or depend on something or someone, as in The solution lies in research , or The decision lies in the President's hands , or It does not lie in my power to turn this situation around . [Mid-1300s] Also see lie in wait ; lie through one's teeth .
First recorded in 1960–65; see origin at lie 2, -in 3
First recorded in 1865–70; noun use of verb phrase lie in
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr James said: "I haven't had a day off in seven months so I'm quite looking forward to the prospect of a lie-in and not having to complete 26 miles tomorrow."
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2025
Mr Livingstone says the pandas are usually a bit lazy and like a lie-in in the morning so he has been gradually bringing forward their wake-up time to get them used to earlier starts.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2023
Equally it could be having a hot bath with a good book, or a lie-in wearing your favourite pyjamas.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2020
He likes the lie-in, too, because it annoys the wrong people.
From New York Times ● Apr. 20, 2020
She was every moment expected to give birth to a child; and, according to custom, had come to lie-in at Eimeo, leaving Paraita, who basely betrayed his trust, re gent in her absence.
From Popery! As it Was and as it Is Also, Auricular Confession; And Popish Nunneries by Hogan, William
The experiment suggests that the answer may lie in the system's own internal evolution.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
The coffin will lie in state until Monday, when a procession will pass through Tehran.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
The ingredients of the dispute lie in decisions made last year, and the situation at the MoD when Labour arrived.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Its rotting parts lie in the grass near a city sewage treatment plant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
I wanted to tell him to lie in his bed with the door closed against that terrible smell.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
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.
