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• lie
  lie

  noun

  a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth.
• Lie
  Lie

  noun

  Jonas, 1880–1940, U.S. painter, born in Norway.

lie

¹ American  

[lahy] / laɪ /

noun

1. a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth.

   Synonyms:

   prevarication

   Antonyms:

   truth

2. something intended or serving to convey a false impression; imposture.

   His flashy car was a lie that deceived no one.

3. an inaccurate or untrue statement; falsehood.

   When I went to school, history books were full of lies, and I won't teach lies to kids.

4. the charge or accusation of telling a lie.

   He flung the lie back at his accusers.

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verb (used without object)

lied, lying

1. to speak falsely or utter untruth knowingly, as with intent to deceive.

   Synonyms:

   fib, prevaricate

2. to express what is false; convey a false impression.

verb (used with object)

lied, lying

1. to bring about or affect by lying (often used reflexively).

   to lie oneself out of a difficulty; accustomed to lying his way out of difficulties.

idioms

1. give the lie to,

   1. to accuse of lying; contradict.

   2. to prove or imply the falsity of; belie.

      His poor work gives the lie to his claims of experience.

2. lie in one's throat / teeth, to lie grossly or maliciously: Also lie through one's teeth.

   If she told you exactly the opposite of what she told me, she must be lying in her teeth.

lie ² American  

[lahy] / laɪ /

verb (used without object)

lay, lain, lying

1. to be in a horizontal, recumbent, or prostrate position, as on a bed or the ground; recline.

   Antonyms:

   stand

2. (of objects) to rest in a horizontal or flat position.

   The book lies on the table.

3. to be or remain in a position or state of inactivity, subjection, restraint, concealment, etc..

   to lie in ambush.

4. to rest, press, or weigh (usually followed by on orupon ).

   These things lie upon my mind.

5. to depend (usually followed by on orupon ).

6. to be placed or situated.

   land lying along the coast.

7. to be stretched out or extended.

   the broad plain that lies before us.

8. to be in or have a specified direction; extend.

   The trail from here lies to the west.

9. to be found or located in a particular area or place.

   The fault lies here.

10. to consist or be grounded (usually followed byin ).

    The real remedy lies in education.

11. to be buried in a particular spot.

    Their ancestors lie in the family plot.

12. Law. to be sustainable or admissible, as an action or appeal.

13. Archaic. to lodge; stay the night; sojourn.

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noun

1. the manner, relative position, or direction in which something lies.

   the lie of the patio, facing the water.

   Synonyms:

   site, position, situation

2. the haunt or covert of an animal.

3. Golf. the position of the ball relative to how easy or how difficult it is to play.

verb phrase

1. lie in

   1. to be confined to bed in childbirth.

   2. Chiefly British. to stay in bed longer than usual, especially in the morning.

2. lie with

   1. to be the duty or function of.

      The decision in this matter lies with him.

   2. Archaic. to have sexual intercourse with.

3. lie up

   1. to lie at rest; stay in bed.

   2. (of a ship) to dock or remain in dock.

4. lie over to be postponed for attention or action at some future time.

   The other business on the agenda will have to lie over until the next meeting.

5. lie down to assume a horizontal or prostrate position, as for the purpose of resting.

6. lie by

   1. to pause for rest; stop activities, work, etc., temporarily.

   2. to lie unused.

      Ever since the last member of the family died, the old house has lain by.

idioms

1. take lying down, to hear or yield without protest, contradiction, or resistance.

   I refuse to take such an insult lying down.

2. lie to, (of a ship) to lie comparatively stationary, usually with the head as near the wind as possible.

3. lie in state. state.

4. lie low. low.

5. lie down on the job, to do less than one could or should do; shirk one's obligations.

   I don't know why they haven't fired that guy—he's always lying down on the job.

Lie ³ American  

[lee] / li /

noun

1. Jonas, 1880–1940, U.S. painter, born in Norway.

2. (Marius) Sophus 1842–99, Norwegian mathematician.

3. Trygve Halvdan 1896–1968, Norwegian statesman: secretary-general of the United Nations 1946–53.

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lie ¹ British  

/ laɪ /

verb

1. (often foll by down) to place oneself or be in a prostrate position, horizontal to the ground

2. to be situated, esp on a horizontal surface

   the pencil is lying on the desk

   India lies to the south of Russia

3. to be buried

   here lies Jane Brown

4. (copula) to be and remain (in a particular state or condition)

   to lie dormant

5. to stretch or extend

   the city lies before us

6. to rest or weigh

   my sins lie heavily on my mind

7. (usually foll by in) to exist or consist inherently

   strength lies in unity

8. (foll by with)

   1. to be or rest (with)

      the ultimate decision lies with you

   2. archaic to have sexual intercourse (with)

9. (of an action, claim, appeal, etc) to subsist; be maintainable or admissible

10. archaic to stay temporarily

11. See state

12. 1. to keep or be concealed or quiet

    2. to wait for a favourable opportunity

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noun

1. the manner, place, or style in which something is situated

2. the hiding place or lair of an animal

3. golf

   1. the position of the ball after a shot

      a bad lie

   2. the angle made by the shaft of the club before the upswing

4. 1. the topography of the land

   2. the way in which a situation is developing or people are behaving

lie ² British  

/ laɪ /

verb

1. (intr) to speak untruthfully with intent to mislead or deceive

2. (intr) to convey a false impression or practise deception

   the camera does not lie

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noun

1. an untrue or deceptive statement deliberately used to mislead

2. something that is deliberately intended to deceive

3. 1. to disprove

   2. to accuse of lying

Lie ³ British  

/ liː /

noun

1. Trygve Halvdan (ˈtryɡvə ˈhalðan). 1896–1968, Norwegian statesman; first secretary-general of the United Nations (1946–52)

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lie More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing lie

• (lie) in state
• barefaced lie
• give the lie to
• lay of the land (how the land lies)
• let sleeping dogs lie
• make one's bed and lie in it
• take lying down
• white lie

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Usage

What's the difference between lie and lay? The sense of lie that’s often confused with lay means to be in or get into a reclining position—to recline, as in I just want to lie in bed for a few more minutes. Lay commonly means to put or place someone or something down, as in Lay the bags on the table or I’m going to lay the baby in the crib. Though it’s considered nonstandard, lay is commonly used to mean the same thing as this sense of lie, as in I just want to lay in bed for a few more minutes. The confusion between the two words is largely due to the fact that lay is also the past tense form of this sense of lie, as in I lay in bed yesterday morning wishing I could go back to sleep. The other tenses of this sense of lie are lain, as in I have lain in bed for the past three hours, and lying, as in I am lying in bed right now. (In contrast, when lie is used as a verb meaning to tell an untruth, its past tense is simply lied.)The other tenses of lay are laid, as in I laid the bags on the table, and laying, as in Start laying the fruit here and the vegetables there. Lay is typically used with an object, meaning someone or something is getting laid down by someone. In contrast, lie is something you do yourself without any other recipients of the action. This sense of lie is commonly used in the verb phrase lie down, as in I was feeling tired so I decided to lie down. Using the phrase lay down to mean the same thing is considered nonstandard, but it’s also very common. Lay down is also used as a verb phrase meaning about the same thing as lay, as in You can lay down your bags on the table (or You can lay your bags down on the table). Although lay and lie are often used interchangeably in casual communication, it’s best to use them in the standard way in more formal contexts. A good way to remember which one to use is to think about whether you could replace the word with put or recline. If you can replace it with put, you probably want to use lay, as in Please lay (put) the bags on the table. If you could replace the word with recline, you probably want to use lie, as in I just want to lie (recline) in bed for a few more minutes. Here’s an example of lay and lie used correctly in the same sentence. Example: He said he was just going to lay the blanket on the grass and lie on it for a few minutes, but he lied. After he laid the blanket down, he lay on it for two hours!Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between lie and lay.

Commonly Confused

See lay ¹.

Synonym Usage

See falsehood.

Etymology

Origin of lie¹

First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English leye, lighe; Old English lyge, lige; cognate with German Lüge, Old Norse lygi; akin to Gothic liugn; (verb) Middle English lien, ligen, leie, Old English lēogan (intransitive); cognate with German lügen, Old Norse ljūga, Gothic liugan

Origin of lie²

First recorded before 900; Middle English lien, liggen, Old English licgan; cognate with German liegen, Dutch liggen, Old Norse liggja, Gothic ligan; akin to Greek léchesthai “to lie down”

Explanation

When you don't tell the truth, you lie. You also lie down when you're sleepy and wonder what lies ahead of you. If we leave aside the lie that is an untruth, most meanings of lie are related. If something lies ahead of us, then it's there, down the road, waiting for us. If mountains lie to the east, we can think of them as having settled down there. If something lies unused, it is just sort of left to lie on the shelf (or wherever). If you let a sleeping dog lie, you're just letting him be right where he is — in the same position.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lie Lie lain lay lied lying

Under the ground and below the ocean’s surface lie millions of miles of glass strands thinner than a human hair.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026

“In addition to it sounding exquisite, I’m not gonna lie, it also tore visually and symbolically.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

“Will a lie get me out? Surely not. That’s not my fate.”

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Prosecutors in Colombia have accused former foreign minister Laura Sarabia of abusing her power after she made her nanny take a lie detector test.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

I’m not sure if he still believes our lie, but he let Camille borrow the car with no questions asked.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

It’s this British game show called “Would I Lie to You?” and unfailingly it makes me laugh.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Popular series covered by the agreements include Vanity Fair's "Lie Detector," BuzzFeed's "30 Questions" and Variety's "Know Their Lines?"

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

Other backward glances include “As You Lie There,” a fantasy about a teenage crush that never blossomed into a romance, and “Salesman Saint,” a paean to Mr. McCartney’s parents’ coping with life in postwar Liverpool.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

“The Boys of Dungeon Lane” begins with “As You Lie There,” his fond remembrances about a schoolboy crush.

From Salon ● May 12, 2026

Lie down next to him, a wrinkle in the sheet, and contemplate his pain and by doing so ease it, diminish it.

From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison

Buildings that had lain dormant for years were suddenly filled with music and dance.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

He’s now buried right next to a baby girl who died at 4 months and had, until his burial, lain in the cemetery alone without anyone by her side.

From Slate ● Jul. 19, 2026

They had lain undiscovered beneath sand dunes but were exposed when they were scoured away by strong winds and high tides.

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026

Starmer will arrive with an entourage of industry executives hoping to promote British business through a UK-China CEO Council, a body that has lain dormant for years.

From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026

He had lain absolutely motionless, with no flicker of life except the faintest of breathing, for more than thirty-two hours.

From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien

Outside Sacramento, Calif., dozens of workers in yellow vests do stretches before going out to lay a continuous, five-mile-long fiber-optic cable under the city.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026

This was the essence of the rationale laid out by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong when the company said in May that it would lay off 14% of its workforce and eliminate “pure managers.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Female flies lay their eggs in open wounds or natural body openings.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

The rebrand comes ahead of a strategic presentation on September 21, when executives are to lay out their plan for "a faster, more competitive and increasingly consumer-driven market".

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

He lay curled on his side with his eyes shut, shaking with cold.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

In Echard’s case, they alleged, she altered her own sister’s sonogram to persuade him she was pregnant, then lied about it under oath.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

“When he talks about a parent has a right to know now only if they ask, how do you know you’re being lied to or secrets being kept?,”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

"People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air."

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

And most importantly, she said, it’s a community of people who are “tired of being lied to.”

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

Dasch asked them which hotel they were staying in, and Quirin lied, telling him the Chesterfield.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

The smallest craters that scientists can reliably detect in LRO images are around 30 feet across, about the length of a three-story building lying on its side.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

Roebuck was still lying on the tile floor, his stomach burning.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

That might not mean that people are lying to themselves about their experience of the economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

Beyond lying to the FBI about the scheme involving Becerra, Williamson misled federal authorities on another topic, the plea agreement stated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Rowdy was lying on the ground about five feet away, sound asleep.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Related Words

• deceit
• deception
• dishonesty
• disinformation
• distortion
• evasion
• fabrication
• falsehood
• fiction
• forgery
• inaccuracy
• misrepresentation
• myth
• perjury
• slander
• tale