lie

LY/laɪ̯/

Verblies, lying, lay, lain

Noun plurallies

Often confused with lay

18 meanings of lie

Practice

1
deceive on purposeverbintransitive
To say something you know is not true so that others believe it.
Like telling a friend the door is locked when you know it is open.
He decided to lie about where he had been all night.
She lied to her parents to avoid getting in trouble.
UsageSay lie to someone about something. The past is lied.
Similarfib, prevaricate, dissemble
Note
2
rest flatverbintransitive
To be flat on something, like a person resting on a bed or a book on a table.
Like a book resting flat on a table.
I like to lie on the grass and watch the clouds.
The cat was lying in the sun all afternoon.
UsageToday I lie down; yesterday I lay down. To put something down is lay: lay it here.
Similarrecline, rest, lounge, sprawl
3
be locatedverbintransitive
To be found in a particular place or position.
Several small islands lie off the coast.
The village lies at the foot of the mountain.
Similarsit, stand, rest
4
false statementnouncountable
Something you say on purpose to fool someone, usually something you know is not true.
Like a fake coin that looks real but is worth nothing.
He told a lie about finishing his homework.
Her whole story turned out to be a lie.
UsageSay tell a lie. A small, kind lie is a white lie.
Similarfalsehood, untruth, fib, fabrication, deception
Oppositetruth
Note
5
consist inverbintransitive
To be found in something, such as a reason or a quality.
The problem lies in the old, worn-out wiring.
Great power can lie in small acts of kindness.
Similarreside, rest, consist, exist
6
remainverbintransitive
To stay in a certain state for some time, often still, quiet or not used.
The old house lies empty for most of the year.
These books can lie untouched on the shelf for years.
UsageSay the house lies empty; it has lain empty for years.
Similarremain, sit, stay, rest
Note
7
be someone's dutyverbintransitive
To be someone's job or duty to do something.
The burden of proof lies on the person who makes the claim.
With her father gone, the care of the farm will now lie on her shoulders.
Similarrest, fall, devolve

Less common meanings

8
give false pictureverbintransitive
Of a thing, to give a wrong idea of the truth, as in 'the camera never lies'.
Like a clock that shows the wrong time and fools everyone.
People say the camera does not lie.
This old scale lies. It says I weigh five pounds less than I do.
Similarmislead, deceive
9
layoutnouncountable
The way something is placed or positioned in relation to its surroundings.
Like the way a map shows which way the hills and valleys face.
The lie of the land made the hike much harder than expected.
Builders checked the lie of the ground before laying the foundation.
UsageMostly in the lie of the land; it can also mean how things are now.
Similarlayout, arrangement, configuration, shape
10
nouncountable
Something that gives false hope or lets you down.
Like a road sign that points the wrong way.
The shortcut turned out to be a lie that wasted our time.
That sunny forecast was a lie, and it rained all day.
Similarsham, fraud, deception, fiction, illusion
Oppositetruth
Note
11
ball's spot (golf)nouncountable
In golf, where the ball has stopped and what the ground around it is like.
Like how a marble that stops in a dip is harder to flick than one on flat ground.
Her ball had a good lie on the smooth grass.
A bad lie in the rough made the shot tricky.
Similarposition
Note
12
have sexverbliteraryintransitive
To have sex with someone.
She refused to lie with him until they were married.
In the old tale, the king lay with the queen that night.
UsageThe past is lay: they lay together.
Similarsleep
Note
13
dishonest personnounslangcountable
A person who tells lies and cannot be trusted.
Don't believe a word he says, he's a lie.
When her cousin said he had cleaned his room, she laughed and said, "You a lie."
Similarliar, fibber, fraud, phony
Note
14
baby's positionnouncountable
In medicine, the way a baby is positioned inside the womb.
Like how a pencil can sit upright, sideways, or slanted inside a cup.
The doctor checked the baby's lie before the birth.
A sideways lie can make delivery much harder.
Similarposition
Note
15
stay overnightverbarchaic
To sleep or stay the night somewhere.
Mr. Quinion lay at our house that night.
1849, Charles Dickens, The Personal History of David CopperfieldHere, lay means slept or stayed the night somewhere.
Note
16
dennouncountable
The resting place or den of a wild animal.
Like a hidden bed where a wild animal goes to rest.
The fox slipped back to its lie among the rocks at dusk.
Hunters found the deer's lie flattened in the tall reeds.
Similarlair, den, form
17
verbcolloquialintransitive
To have said something that is not true by accident, often when you correct yourself at once.
The party is on Friday. No, I lie, it's on Saturday.
We have three cats at home. Sorry, I lie, we have four now.
UsageSay no, I lie and then fix what you said.
Note
18
verb
Of a legal claim, to be allowed to go forward in court.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of lie apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 2–3, 5–7, 9, 11–12, 14–16

This 'lie' (to rest flat) comes from Old English licgan. It is related to German liegen and Latin lectus, meaning 'bed'.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

The reclining verb comes from Old English licgan. en.wiktionary.org
The verb is related to German liegen. en.wiktionary.org
The verb is related to Latin lectus, meaning bed. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 1, 8, 17

This 'lie' (to tell a falsehood) comes from Old English leogan, meaning 'to lie'. It is related to German lügen and Dutch liegen.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

The falsehood verb descends from Old English leogan, meaning 'to lie'. en.wiktionary.org
English lie is related to German lügen and Dutch liegen. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 4, 10, 13

This 'lie' (a falsehood, the noun) comes from Old English lyge, meaning 'lie, falsehood'. It is related to German Lüge.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

The noun descends from Old English lyge. en.wiktionary.org
Old English lyge meant 'lie, falsehood'. en.wiktionary.org
The noun is related to German Lüge. en.wiktionary.org