English Explanatory Dictionary

lie

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To rest in a horizontal position on a surface.
  2. To be placed or situated.
  3. To abide; to remain for a longer or shorter time; to be in a certain state or condition.
  4. Used with in: to be or exist; to belong or pertain; to have an abiding place; to consist.
  5. Used with with: to have sexual relations with.
  6. Used with on/upon: to be incumbent (on); to be the responsibility of a person.
  7. To lodge; to sleep.
  8. To be still or quiet, like one lying down to rest.
  9. To be sustainable; to be capable of being maintained.
noun
  1. The terrain and conditions surrounding the ball before it is struck.
  2. The terrain and conditions surrounding the disc before it is thrown.
  3. The position of a fetus in the womb.
  4. A manner of lying; relative position.
  5. An animal's lair.
verb
  1. To give false information intentionally with intent to deceive.
  2. To convey a false image or impression.
  3. To be mistaken or unintentionally spread false information.
noun
  1. An intentionally false statement; an intentional falsehood.
  2. A statement intended to deceive, even if literally true.
  3. Anything that misleads or disappoints.
  4. A liar; a dishonest person.
name
  1. Initialism of Long Island Expressway (“I-495”).
name
  1. A Norwegian surname.

Pronunciation

/laɪ̯/ en-us-lie.ogg LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-lie.wav

Word forms

lie lies lying lay laid lain lien no-table-tags glossary lyest layst lyeth lied liest liedst lieth

Etymology

From Middle English lien, liggen, from Old English liċġan, from Proto-West Germanic *liggjan, from Proto-Germanic *ligjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ-. Cognates Cognate with Yola lee, lidge (“to lie”), leigh, leiough (“to idle”), North Frisian lade, lai, laie, lei, lii, läde, läie (“to lie; to lay”), Saterland Frisian lääse (“to lie; to lay”), West Frisian lizze (“to lie”), Alemannic German ligge (“to lie”), Central Franconian lijje (“to lie”), Dutch and Dutch Low Saxon liggen (“to lie”), German liegen (“to lie”), German Low German ligge, liggen (“to lie”), Luxembourgish leien (“to lie”), Yiddish ליגן (lign, “to lie”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål ligge (“to lie”), Faroese and Icelandic liggja (“to lie”), Norwegian Nynorsk ligge, liggja, liggje (“to lie”), Swedish ligga (“to lie”), Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (ligan, “to lie, to rest”); and with Irish laigh, luigh (“to lie”), Manx lhie (“lie; lay”), Scottish Gaelic laigh (“lie; lay”), Faliscan 𐌋𐌄𐌂𐌄𐌕 (lecet, “he lies down”), Latin lectus (“bed”), South Picene 𐌅𐌄𐌉𐌀𐌕 (veiat, “to lie”), Ancient Greek λέχομαι (lékhomai, “to lie down”), Albanian lag (“band, encampment, troop”), Belarusian ляжа́ць (ljažácʹ, “to lie”), Bulgarian лежа́ (ležá, “to lie”), Czech ležet (“to lie”), Macedonian лежи (leži, “to lie”), Polish leżeć (“to lie”), Russian лежа́ть (ležátʹ, “to lie”), Serbo-Croatian лѐжати, lèžati (“to lie”), Slovene ležáti (“to lie”), Ukrainian лежа́ти (ležáty, “to lie”), Tocharian B lyäk- (“to lie”). As a noun for position, the noun has the same etymology above as the verb.

Synonyms

alternative fact anti-fact invention bluff bollocks bullshit canard cap chin clanker contradiction cram disinformation fabrication falsehood falsification fib flam goof hoax hummer inveracity inverity jive lie load of bull load of crap load of shit mendacity misinformation mistruth nonsense nontruth pile of crap pile of shit pork pie porker porky prevarication red flag rubbish story swack-up tall tale terminological inexactitude untruism untruth whopper wisker yanker yed prevaricate deception leasing half-truth Long Island Expressway Interstate 495 I-495

Antonyms

fact truth verity

Related words

lay a corresponding transitive version of this word lees lier the cake is a lie cry wolf give the lie to a lie has no legs lie through one's teeth I tell a lie decoy fake imitate

Derived words

beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder butter one's bread and lie in it deep-lying devil lies in the details forelie forlie here lies if you lie with dogs you will get fleas interlie let lie let sleeping dogs lie let the sleeping dogs lie lie above lie ahead lie around lie at one's door lie at one's heart lie at someone's door lie at someone's heart lie back lie before lie behind lie by lie doggo lie down lie ill in one's mouth lie in lie-in lie in ambush lie in honor lie in repose lie in state lie in the bed one has made lie in the way lie in wait lie low lie off lie on the oars lie-over lie over lie rough lie to lie upon lie waste lie with love-lies-bleeding make one's bed and lie in it mislie overlie how the land lies sit-lie superlie that way madness lies therein lies the rub there lies the rub underlie uneasy lies the head that wears a crown you make the bed you lie in lie like a rug outlie
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