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  • lie-in
    lie-in
    noun
    a protest demonstration in which participants lie down in a public place against regulations and resist being moved.
  • lie in
    lie in
    verb
    to remain in bed late in the morning
Synonyms

lie-in

1 American  
[lahy-in] / ˈlaɪˌɪn /

noun

  1. a protest demonstration in which participants lie down in a public place against regulations and resist being moved.

lie-in 2 American  
[lahy-in] / ˈlaɪˌɪn /

noun

Chiefly British.

  1. an act or instance of staying in bed longer than usual, especially in the morning.

lie in British  

verb

  1. to remain in bed late in the morning

  2. to be confined in childbirth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a long stay in bed in the morning

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
lie in Idioms  

  1. 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]

  2. 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 .

Etymology

Origin of lie-in1

First recorded in 1960–65; see origin at lie 2, -in 3

Origin of lie-in2

First recorded in 1865–70; noun use of verb phrase lie in

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"I will miss it but I'm quite looking forward to a lie-in on Saturday morning - and new ventures in the new year."

From BBC • Nov. 12, 2025

Some people used the Easter Monday bank holiday as a chance to have a much-needed lie-in.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2025

He likes the lie-in, too, because it annoys the wrong people.

From New York Times • Apr. 20, 2020

Even at their busiest, Suuronen did not employ more than a dozen people and each started work at 10am, thanks to the boss’s fondness for a lie-in.

From The Guardian • Aug. 22, 2018

I am now at my brother's house, on my way to Skye, to attend my daughter, who is to lie-in in August; they are all in health at present.

From Memoirs of the Jacobites of 1715 and 1745 Volume III. by Thomson, Mrs.

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.