lip service

noun

1. insincere expression of friendship, admiration, support, etc.; service by words only:

   He paid only lip service to the dictator.

lip service

noun

1. insincere support or respect expressed but not put into practice

lip service

1. Insincere agreement; to “pay lip service” is to consent in one's words while dissenting in one's heart: “The boss's support of affirmative action was merely paying lip service; he never committed himself to it in any substantial way.”

Other Words From

• lip server noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of lip service¹

First recorded in 1635–45

Idioms and Phrases

Verbal but insincere expression of agreement or support. It is often put as pay or give lip service , as in They paid lip service to holding an election next year, but they had no intention of doing so . [Mid-1600s]

Example Sentences

The mother of 15-year-old Annabel Wright, who took her own life, last year said proposed safety measures were just paying "lip service".

From BBC

It was a beautiful moment — and a reminder that while some politicians pay lip service to valuing family, others show that they do.

From Los Angeles Times

“They’re just paying lip service to it as far as I’m concerned,” Ms Hopkins said.

From BBC

The U.S. paid lip service to freeing the people of Vietnam and Afghanistan, but our primary goals were strategic and self-interested.

From Los Angeles Times

“I told them, one of you will fly first and one will fly last, and they accepted that of course, but from the heart, not just lip service … the team spirit is very pronounced.”

From Seattle Times