lying

[ lahy-ing ]

/ ˈlaɪ ɪŋ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR lying ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the telling of lies, or false statements; untruthfulness: From boyhood, he has never been good at lying.

adjective

telling or containing lies; deliberately untruthful; deceitful; false: a lying report.

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Why in the world is "lying" spelled with a "Y"?

Origin of lying

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at lie¹, -ing¹, -ing²

OTHER WORDS FROM lying

ly·ing·ly, adverb

Words nearby lying

lyefish, lyell, lyell's disease, lyell, charles, lygaeid, lying, lying down, lying-in, lyke-wake, lyle, lyly

Definition for lying (2 of 4)

lying ²

[ lahy-ing ]

/ ˈlaɪ ɪŋ /

verb

present participle of lie².

OTHER WORDS FROM lying

ly·ing·ly, adverb

Definition for lying (3 of 4)

lie ¹

[ lahy ]

/ laɪ /

noun

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

something intended or serving to convey a false impression; imposture: His flashy car was a lie that deceived no one.

an inaccurate or false statement; a falsehood.

the charge or accusation of telling a lie: He flung the lie back at his accusers.

verb (used without object), lied, ly·ing.

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

to express what is false; convey a false impression.

verb (used with object), lied, ly·ing.

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.

Origin of lie

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

synonym study for lie

1. See falsehood.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH lie

lie lye

Definition for lying (4 of 4)

lie ²

[ lahy ]

/ laɪ /

verb (used without object), lay, lain, ly·ing.

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

(of objects) to rest in a horizontal or flat position: The book lies on the table.

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

to rest, press, or weigh (usually followed by on or upon): These things lie upon my mind.

to depend (usually followed by on or upon).

to be placed or situated: land lying along the coast.

to be stretched out or extended: the broad plain that lies before us.

to be in or have a specified direction; extend: The trail from here lies to the west.

to be found or located in a particular area or place: The fault lies here.

to consist or be grounded (usually followed by in): The real remedy lies in education.

to be buried in a particular spot: Their ancestors lie in the family plot.

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

Archaic. to lodge; stay the night; sojourn.

noun

the manner, relative position, or direction in which something lies: the lie of the patio, facing the water.

the haunt or covert of an animal.

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

Verb Phrases

lie by,

to pause for rest; stop activities, work, etc., temporarily.
to lie unused: Ever since the last member of the family died, the old house has lain by.

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

lie in,

to be confined to bed in childbirth.
Chiefly British. to stay in bed longer than usual, especially in the morning.

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.

lie up,

to lie at rest; stay in bed.
(of a ship) to dock or remain in dock.

lie with,

to be the duty or function of: The decision in this matter lies with him.
Archaic. to have sexual intercourse with.

Origin of lie

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

usage note for lie

See lay¹.

Example sentences from the Web for lying

Orlandi told The Daily Beast that Agca might be lying, but he should still be heard.

Pope-Shooter Ali Agca’s Very Weird Vatican Visit |Barbie Latza Nadeau |December 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Mills was lying on the sidewalk, dying, right in front of people trained to save him.

Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans |Philip K. Howard |December 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
“Lying is intentionally, intentionally misleading someone, all right,” he told Newsmax.

After Torture Report, Our Moral Authority As a Nation Is Gone |Nick Gillespie |December 11, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
If Jackie is lying, she will likely—and sadly—suffer for it.

What the U-VA Rape Case Tells Us About a Victim Culture Gone Mad |Lizzie Crocker |December 6, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

The broker who sold the policy went so far as to say the doctors had been lying to me.

My Insurance Company Killed Me, Despite Obamacare |Malcolm MacDougall |November 24, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
But even while he was lying wide awake, it began again, and it was such a dismal sound he could feel the goose-flesh forming.

The Quest |Frederik van Eeden
None, however, were falling on the wood because here friend and foe were lying almost within bayonet length of each other.

The Sky Pilot in No Man's Land |Ralph Connor
But for me, you would be lying dead at this minute and the Astrarium would be ruined.

The Bill-Toppers |Andre Castaigne
I was lying next to you, and I will swear that you brought down eight of them with your rifle, before they charged.

Through Three Campaigns |G. A. Henty
According to English sources Olaf was lying with his fleet off Southampton during the winter of 994-995.

The Sagas of Olaf Tryggvason and of Harald The Tyrant (Harald Haardraade) |Snorri Sturluson

British Dictionary definitions for lying (1 of 5)

lying ¹

/ (ˈlaɪɪŋ) /

verb

the present participle and gerund of lie 1

British Dictionary definitions for lying (2 of 5)

lying ²

/ (ˈlaɪɪŋ) /

verb

the present participle and gerund of lie 2

British Dictionary definitions for lying (3 of 5)

Lie

/ (liː) /

noun

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

British Dictionary definitions for lying (4 of 5)

lie ¹

/ (laɪ) /

verb lies, lying or lied

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

(intr) to convey a false impression or practise deception the camera does not lie

noun

an untrue or deceptive statement deliberately used to mislead

something that is deliberately intended to deceive

give the lie to

to disprove
to accuse of lying

Other words from lie

Related adjective: mendacious

Word Origin for lie

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

British Dictionary definitions for lying (5 of 5)

lie ²

/ (laɪ) /

verb lies, lying, lay (leɪ) or lain (leɪn) (intr)

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

to be situated, esp on a horizontal surface the pencil is lying on the desk; India lies to the south of Russia

to be buried here lies Jane Brown

(copula) to be and remain (in a particular state or condition) to lie dormant

to stretch or extend the city lies before us

(usually foll by on or upon) to rest or weigh my sins lie heavily on my mind

(usually foll by in) to exist or consist inherently strength lies in unity

(foll by with)

to be or rest (with)the ultimate decision lies with you
archaic to have sexual intercourse (with)

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

archaic to stay temporarily

lie in state See state (def. 13)

lie low

to keep or be concealed or quiet
to wait for a favourable opportunity

noun

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

the hiding place or lair of an animal

golf

the position of the ball after a shota bad lie
the angle made by the shaft of the club before the upswing

lie of the land

the topography of the land
the way in which a situation is developing or people are behaving

See also lie down, lie in, lie to, lie up

Word Origin for lie

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

undefined lie

See lay 1

Medical definitions for lying

lie

[ lī ]

n.

The manner or position in which something is situated, especially the relation that the long axis of a fetus bears to that of its mother.

Idioms and Phrases with lying

lie

In addition to the idioms beginning with lie

lie down
lie in
lie in state
lie in wait
lie low
lie through one's teeth
lie with

also see:

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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

lying

noun

adjective

VIDEO FOR LYING

WATCH NOW: Why Is "Lying" Spelled With A "Y"

Origin of lying

OTHER WORDS FROM lying

Words nearby lying

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); Definition for lying (2 of 4)

verb

OTHER WORDS FROM lying

Definition for lying (3 of 4)

noun

verb (used without object), lied, ly·ing.

verb (used with object), lied, ly·ing.

Origin of lie

synonym study for lie

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH lie

Definition for lying (4 of 4)

verb (used without object), lay, lain, ly·ing.

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of lie

usage note for lie

Words related to lying

Example sentences from the Web for lying

British Dictionary definitions for lying (1 of 5)

verb

British Dictionary definitions for lying (2 of 5)

verb

British Dictionary definitions for lying (3 of 5)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for lying (4 of 5)

verb lies, lying or lied

noun

Other words from lie

Word Origin for lie

British Dictionary definitions for lying (5 of 5)

verb lies, lying, lay (leɪ) or lain (leɪn) (intr)

noun

Word Origin for lie

undefined lie

Medical definitions for lying

n.

Idioms and Phrases with lying

Definition for lying (2 of 4)