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lie

1 of 4

verb (1)

ˈlī How to pronounce lie (audio)
lay ˈlā How to pronounce lie (audio) ; lain ˈlān How to pronounce lie (audio) ; lying ˈlī-iŋ How to pronounce lie (audio)
Synonyms of lienext

intransitive verb

1
a
: to be or to stay at rest in a horizontal position : be prostrate : rest, recline
lie motionless
lie asleep
b
: to assume a horizontal position
—often used with down
c
archaic : to reside temporarily : stay for the night : lodge
d
: to have sexual intercourse
—used with with
e
: to remain inactive (as in concealment)
lie in wait
2
: to be in a helpless or defenseless state
the town lay at the mercy of the invaders
3
of an inanimate thing : to be or remain in a flat or horizontal position upon a broad support
books lying on the table
4
: to have direction : extend
the route lay to the west
5
a
: to occupy a certain relative place or position
hills lie behind us
b
: to have a place in relation to something else
the real reason lies deeper
c
: to have an effect through mere presence, weight, or relative position
remorse lay heavily on him
d
: to be sustainable or admissible
6
: to remain at anchor or becalmed
7
a
: to have place : exist
the choice lay between fighting or surrendering
b
: consist, belong
the success of the book lies in its direct style
responsibility lay with the adults
8
: remain
especially : to remain unused, unsought, or uncared for

see also lie low

Lay vs. Lie: Usage Guide

Lay is often used where lie is considered standard, as in "I'm going to lay down for a quick nap." The use, which dates to the 14th century, troubled no one until the 18th, but since then, people who care about such things have tried to teach the rest of us that a person lies, not lays, down. Lay in the related use means "to place (someone or something) down gently in a flat position." It requires an object; there must be a thing or person being placed.

Lay it down.
It's time to lay the baby down for a nap.

Lie, on the other hand, does not require an object; instead, the one lying down is already in position or is moving or going to move to such a position on their own.

The cat lies there every morning.
You can lie down on the sofa.

The tenses of the verbs complicate things further. Lay becomes laid and laying

She laid the baby in his crib for a nap.
They have laid it all out for you.
I'm laying out the fabric.

and lie becomes lay, lain, and lying:

The baby lay asleep in his crib.
He has lain there since noon.
A note was lying on the table when I came home.

lie

2 of 4

noun (1)

ˈlī How to pronounce lie (audio)
1
chiefly British : lay sense 6
2
: the position or situation in which something lies (see lie entry 1)
a golf ball in a difficult lie
3
: the haunt of an animal (such as a fish) : covert
4
British : an act or instance of lying or resting

lie

3 of 4

verb (2)

ˈlī How to pronounce lie (audio)
lied; lying ˈlī-iŋ How to pronounce lie (audio)

intransitive verb

1
: to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive
She was lying when she said she didn't break the vase.
He lied about his past experience.
2
: to create a false or misleading impression
Statistics sometimes lie.
The mirror never lies.

transitive verb

: to bring about by telling lies
He lied his way out of trouble.

lie

4 of 4

noun (2)

ˈlī How to pronounce lie (audio)
1
a
: an assertion of something known or believed by the speaker or writer to be untrue with intent to deceive
He told a lie to avoid punishment.
b
: an untrue or inaccurate statement that may or may not be believed true by the speaker or writer
the lies we tell ourselves to feel better
historical records containing numerous lies
2
: something that misleads or deceives
His show of remorse was a lie.
3
: a charge of lying (see lie entry 3)

Synonyms of lie

Relevance

Verb (1)

Verb (2)

Noun (2)

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Choose the Right Synonym for lie

lie, prevaricate, equivocate, palter, fib mean to tell an untruth.

lie is the blunt term, imputing dishonesty.

lied about where he had been

prevaricate softens the bluntness of lie by implying quibbling or confusing the issue.

during the hearings the witness did his best to prevaricate

equivocate implies using words having more than one sense so as to seem to say one thing but intend another.

equivocated endlessly in an attempt to mislead her inquisitors

palter implies making unreliable statements of fact or intention or insincere promises.

a swindler paltering with his investors

fib applies to a telling of a trivial untruth.

fibbed about the price of the new suit

Examples of lie in a Sentence

Verb (1) the train tracks lie just over that hill I left the book lying on the counter paparazzi were lying in wait outside the restaurant, a well-known celebrity hangout Verb (2) would I lie to you about that? Noun (2) he wanted to deny the accusation, but he couldn't tell a lie
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.
Verb
These small shifts in perspective lay the groundwork for a lifetime of generosity and civic awareness, says Mucino-Sanchez. —Lauryn Higgins, Parents, 31 Dec. 2025 The proud mom shared a photo of the baby girl lying bundled in a bassinet. —Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
Noun
Inside lies the in-house self-winding movement (Calibre 1120 QP) with a perpetual calendar and a moon phase. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 31 Dec. 2025 Kyiv has dismissed the allegation as a baseless lie aimed at building a pretext for the Kremlin to push ahead with its war. —Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 30 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lie

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English, from Old English licgan; akin to Old High German ligen to lie, Latin lectus bed, Greek lechos

Noun (1)

derivative of lie entry 1

Verb (2)

Middle English, from Old English lēogan; akin to Old High German liogan to lie, Old Church Slavic lŭgati

Noun (2)

Middle English lige, lie, from Old English lyge; akin to Old High German lugī, Old English lēogan to lie

First Known Use

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (1)

1697, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of lie was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing lie

Rhymes for lie

See All Rhymes for lie

Browse Nearby Words

lidocaine
lie
Lie
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lie. Accessed 2 Jan. 2026.

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Kids Definition

lie

1 of 4 verb
ˈlī How to pronounce lie (audio)
lay ˈlā How to pronounce lie (audio) ; lain ˈlān How to pronounce lie (audio) ; lying ˈlī-iŋ How to pronounce lie (audio)
1
a
: to be in, stay in, or take up a horizontal position
lay fast asleep
lie down
b
: to stay in hiding or in ambush
lie low
lie in wait
2
: to be spread flat so as to cover
snow lying on the ground
3
: to have direction : extend
our route lay to the west
4
: to be located
Ohio lies east of Indiana

lie

2 of 4 noun
1
: the position in which something lies
2
chiefly British : lay entry 2

lie

3 of 4 verb
lied; lying ˈlī-iŋ How to pronounce lie (audio)
1
: to make a statement one knows to be untrue
2
: to give a false idea
statistics sometimes lie

lie

4 of 4 noun
: something said or done in the hope of deceiving
Etymology

Verb

Old English licgan "to get into or be in a horizontal position"

Verb

Old English lēogan "to say something that is not true"

Legal Definition

lie

intransitive verb
ˈlī How to pronounce lie (audio)
lay ˈlā How to pronounce lie (audio) ; lain ˈlān How to pronounce lie (audio) ; lying
: to be sustainable or capable of being maintained : have grounds under the law
holding that an action of battery would lie—Scott v. Bradford, 606 P.2d 554 (1979)
remedies for misrepresentation…will not lie for misstatements of opinion—W. L. Prosser and W. P. Keeton
appeals from the Tax Court lie to the…Circuit Court—D. Q. Posin

Biographical Definition

Lie 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

ˈlē How to pronounce Lie (audio)
Jonas 1833–1908 Norwegian novelist and dramatist

Lie

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

Trygve Halvdan 1896–1968 Norwegian lawyer; secretary-general of U.N. (1946–52)

More from Merriam-Webster on lie

Nglish: Translation of lie for Spanish Speakers

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