lie with
phrasal verb
lay with; lain with; lying with; lies with
1
—used to say who has the blame or responsibility for something
Responsibility for the accident lies with the company.
2
literary
: to have sex with (someone)
when he first lay with her
Examples of lie with in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
We were told by a spokesperson for the Eldorado Police Department that the criminal jurisdiction over the allegations involving Eldorado’s mayor lie with Saline County.
—
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 27 July 2025
The competitive edge now lies with organizations and professionals agile enough to combine AI capabilities with human judgement, creativity, and business acumen.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 July 2025
State law currently says the governor can recommend the state inspector general be named a special prosecutor over a particular case that the county prosecutor declines to take up, but even then, the ultimate decision lies with an appeals court judge.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 26 July 2025
But for the most part, their hopes for redress lay with the Democratic Party.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for lie with
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 27 July 2025
The competitive edge now lies with organizations and professionals agile enough to combine AI capabilities with human judgement, creativity, and business acumen.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 July 2025
State law currently says the governor can recommend the state inspector general be named a special prosecutor over a particular case that the county prosecutor declines to take up, but even then, the ultimate decision lies with an appeals court judge.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 26 July 2025
But for the most part, their hopes for redress lay with the Democratic Party.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for lie with
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lie with.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lie%20with. Accessed 9 Aug. 2025.
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