Advertisement

View synonyms for lie

lie

1

[ lahy ]

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.



verb (used without object)

, lied, ly·ing.
  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, ly·ing.
  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.

lie

2

[ lahy ]

verb (used without object)

, lay, lain, ly·ing.
  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 or upon ):

    These things lie upon my mind.

  5. to depend (usually followed by on or upon ).
  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 by in ):

    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.

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. to be confined to bed in childbirth.
    2. Chiefly British. to stay in bed longer than usual, especially in the morning.
    1. to be the duty or function of:

      The decision in this matter lies with him.

    2. Archaic. to have sexual intercourse with.
    1. to lie at rest; stay in bed.
    2. (of a ship) to dock or remain in dock.
  1. 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.

  2. to assume a horizontal or prostrate position, as for the purpose of resting.
    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.

Lie

3

[ lee ]

noun

  1. Jonas, 1880–1940, U.S. painter, born in Norway.
  2. (Ma·ri·us) So·phus [mah-, r, ee-, oo, s , soh, -f, oo, s], 1842–99, Norwegian mathematician.
  3. Tryg·ve Halv·dan [trig, -v, uh, , hahlv, -dahn, tryg, -v, uh, , hahlv, -dahn], 1896–1968, Norwegian statesman: secretary-general of the United Nations 1946–53.

lie

1

/ 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. usually foll byon or upon 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. to have sexual intercourse (with)
  9. (of an action, claim, appeal, etc) to subsist; be maintainable or admissible
  10. archaic.
    to stay temporarily
  11. lie in state
    See state
  12. lie low
    1. to keep or be concealed or quiet
    2. to wait for a favourable opportunity
“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. 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. lie of the land
    1. the topography of the land
    2. the way in which a situation is developing or people are behaving
“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

2

/ 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

“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. an untrue or deceptive statement deliberately used to mislead
  2. something that is deliberately intended to deceive
  3. give the lie to
    1. to disprove
    2. to accuse of lying
“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

3

/ liː /

noun

  1. LieTrygve Halvdan18961968MNorwegianPOLITICS: statesman Trygve Halvdan (ˈtryɡvə ˈhalðan). 1896–1968, Norwegian statesman; first secretary-general of the United Nations (1946–52)
“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
Discover More

Usage

See lay 1
Discover More

Confusables Note

See lay 1.
Discover More

Word History and Origins

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”
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of lie1

Old English licgan akin to Old High German ligen to lie, Latin lectus bed

Origin of lie2

Old English lyge (n), lēogan (vb); related to Old High German liogan, Gothic liugan
Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

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 down on the job, Informal. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. lie to, Nautical. (of a ship) to lie comparatively stationary, usually with the head as near the wind as possible.
  5. take lying down, to hear or yield without protest, contradiction, or resistance:

    I refuse to take such an insult lying down.

  6. lie in state. state ( def 24 ).
  7. lie low. low 1( def 51 ).

More idioms and phrases containing lie

  • barefaced lie
  • give the lie to
  • (lie) in state
  • 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
Discover More

Synonym Study

Discover More

Example Sentences

My doctor insisted that once I filed this piece I lie down on my bed and not get out.

I lie and nod my head yes while wiping the tears on my gray fleece sleeve.

“I knew it was a lie from the beginning,” Patrick told WLOS.

It is, in fact, legal for police to lie to suspects during interrogations.

But he drew me close  And he swallowed me down,  Down a dark slimy path  Where lie secrets that I never want to know […].

They are ovoid in shape, and lie in pairs, end to end, often forming short chains.

However this be, it is hard to say that these fibs have that clear intention to deceive which constitutes a complete lie.

The "bad form" of telling a lie to the head-master is a later illustration of the same thing.

The word of the law shall be fulfilled without a lie, and wisdom shall be made plain in the mouth of the faithful.

The hut was barely high enough to let him sit up, and long enough to let him lie down—not to stretch out.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement