lip service
noun
insincere expression of friendship, admiration, support, etc.; service by words only: He paid only lip service to the dictator.
Origin of lip service
First recorded in 1635–45
OTHER WORDS FROM lip service
lip server, nounWords nearby lip service
lip gloss,
lip microphone,
lip molding,
lip out,
lip reflex,
lip service,
lip-,
lip-lock,
lip-read,
lip-reading,
lip-sync
Example sentences from the Web for lip service
British Dictionary definitions for lip service
lip service
noun
insincere support or respect expressed but not put into practice
Cultural definitions for lip service
lip service
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.”
Idioms and Phrases with lip service
lip service
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]