lying

¹

[ lahy-ing ]

noun

1. the telling of lies, or false statements; untruthfulness:

   From boyhood, he has never been good at lying.

   Synonyms: prevarication, mendacity, falsity, falsehood

   Antonyms: veracity, truth

adjective

1. telling or containing lies; deliberately untruthful; deceitful; false:

   a lying report.

   Synonyms: counterfeit, sham, fallacious, mendacious, misleading, deceptive

   Antonyms: trustworthy, accurate, correct, actual, candid, true

lying

²

[ lahy-ing ]

verb

1. present participle of lie ².

lying

¹

/ ˈlaɪɪŋ /

verb

1. the present participle and gerund of lie 1

lying

²

/ ˈlaɪɪŋ /

verb

1. the present participle and gerund of lie 2

Other Word Forms

• lying·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of lying¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English; lie ¹, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

When the lights come back up, Gaga is now the woman in white, lying in the sand, half-dead among piles of discarded human remains.

From Salon

Police arrived that evening on Nov. 11, 2023, and found Valdez, 33, unarmed and lying in the driveway of the residence, where his mother lived.

From Los Angeles Times

It will take way longer than any of us hope, but better than lying down and just letting the worst happen.

From Salon

In a post on X, the SSA - which is now controlled by a Trump appointee - said Biden had been "lying" during his Chicago speech.

From BBC

Quasem also clearly remembers the faint blue tiles from his cell, now lying in pieces on the floor, which led investigators to this particular room.

From BBC

Related Words

• misleading