lie behind

verb

lay behind; lain behind; lying behind; lies behind
: to be the cause of (something)
Greed lies behind the higher prices.

Examples of lie behind in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Journalists will keep working to hold all leaders accountable, and expose the lies behind the slick campaigns. Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2026 And specifically with regard to crime stories, the best ones are always really about what lies behind the decision, or the impetus, to commit crimes in the first place. Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 6 July 2026 Blackwood, with her firsthand knowledge of drafty manors and unhinged families, explains with remorseless precision what lies behind the fantasy—what happens when the houses, and the people in them, are neither charismatic nor lovable. Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 10 June 2026 What obscure motive lay behind this one? Wyatt Williams, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for lie behind

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lie behind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lie%20behind. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster