lie on/upon
phrasal verb
lay on/upon; lain on/upon; lying on/upon; lies on/upon
: to affect (someone) in a specified way
Sorrow lay heavily on him.
Guilt lies on his conscience.
She keeps herself healthy so her years lie lightly upon her.
Examples of lie on/upon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
No Other Land, which won the Best Documentary Academy award this year, documents the cycle of destruction and harassment on a collection of hamlets and their Bedouin communities which lie on the Palestinian West Bank side of the 1949 Green Line.
—
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 29 July 2025
After asking the man to take off his shirt, Saunders had the man, who was wearing shorts, lie on his back on his bed, with a towel covering his midsection.
—Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 22 July 2025
Now streaming, the 10-episode third season ends with a jury finding Georgia not guilty of killing Tom, thanks to Ginny convincing Austin to lie on the stand about seeing Gil commit the brutal act.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 6 June 2025
However, a clue to its future impact could lie on another American coastline 2,300 miles away in California.
—Joe Sills, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for lie on/upon
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Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 29 July 2025
After asking the man to take off his shirt, Saunders had the man, who was wearing shorts, lie on his back on his bed, with a towel covering his midsection.
—Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 22 July 2025
Now streaming, the 10-episode third season ends with a jury finding Georgia not guilty of killing Tom, thanks to Ginny convincing Austin to lie on the stand about seeing Gil commit the brutal act.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 6 June 2025
However, a clue to its future impact could lie on another American coastline 2,300 miles away in California.
—Joe Sills, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for lie on/upon
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lie on/upon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lie%20on%2Fupon. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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