as in dishonest
telling or containing lies
that lying son of a gun told me that the used car had never been in an accident
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in deception
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in deceiving
to make a statement one knows to be untrue
would I lie to you about that?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in sitting
to occupy a place or location
I left the book lying on the counter
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in hiding
to remain out of sight
paparazzi were lying in wait outside the restaurant, a well-known celebrity hangout
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of lying
Kenan Draughorne, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2022
Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
Crawford said the lying in wait allegations could not be proved because his client was just standing by a gate when the attack happened.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 25 Jan. 2026
The selfish tyrant attaches himself only to those others who share his selfishness, who are eager to wear the mask of perpetual lying.
—David Brooks, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026
Lior Torenberg explains what sets the Sad Girl Grifter (SGG) apart from her lying, scheming peers.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
Our guide gives you the best strategies to handle lying and deception at every stage and smart ways to teach your child the value of honesty.
—Sarah Vanbuskirk, Parents, 10 Jan. 2026
The lying, the calls for political violence, the nonstop gaslighting just cannot become anything approaching normal.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 21 Nov. 2025
In it, Buzzard accused Brewer of lying and of seeking media attention, while Brewer could be heard asking to leave twice.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 21 Nov. 2025
Lowest lying yards along Blue Creek are flooded.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 Feb. 2026
The poignant image is juxtaposed with flashbacks of them as children lying sweetly next to one another.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
Federal authorities are investigating two ICE officers accused of lying about what led up to the shooting of a Venezuelan man in Minnesota in January.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
Former San Leandro City Councilman Bryan Azevedo pleaded guilty Wednesday to accepting a $2,000 bribe and then lying about it to federal agents — the first conviction in a sprawling East Bay political corruption scandal that has also ensnared Oakland’s former mayor.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
Investigators later determined the four officers fired nearly 100 shots, including three that were fired as Reed — a former standout basketball player at Westinghouse College Prep high school — was lying motionless on the ground.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Before you got twisted up by this lying con man?
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Images from the scene showed dozens of people lying bloodied on the floor of the Imambargah Khadijatul Kubra mosque in Islamabad's Tarlai suburb, while others were piled into any vehicles available to be transported to local hospitals.
—Sami Yousafzai, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
And so, after decades of lying abandoned, the area was slowly repopulated.
—Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
He was found dead lying face up on his hotel bed with no signs of trauma, according to a Monday report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
—Kenan Draughorne, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2022
Noun
OpenAI has also shared examples of its models cheating and lying and, in an experiment showcased on the second floor of its San Francisco headquarters, appearing to converse in a totally indecipherable language.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
Crawford said the lying in wait allegations could not be proved because his client was just standing by a gate when the attack happened.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 25 Jan. 2026
The selfish tyrant attaches himself only to those others who share his selfishness, who are eager to wear the mask of perpetual lying.
—David Brooks, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026
Lior Torenberg explains what sets the Sad Girl Grifter (SGG) apart from her lying, scheming peers.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
Our guide gives you the best strategies to handle lying and deception at every stage and smart ways to teach your child the value of honesty.
—Sarah Vanbuskirk, Parents, 10 Jan. 2026
The lying, the calls for political violence, the nonstop gaslighting just cannot become anything approaching normal.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 21 Nov. 2025
In it, Buzzard accused Brewer of lying and of seeking media attention, while Brewer could be heard asking to leave twice.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 21 Nov. 2025
Lowest lying yards along Blue Creek are flooded.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
Greenson breaks into Monroe's bedroom and finds the 36-year-old movie star lying naked, lifeless, face down on her bed, still clutching the telephone receiver.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 Feb. 2026
The poignant image is juxtaposed with flashbacks of them as children lying sweetly next to one another.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
Federal authorities are investigating two ICE officers accused of lying about what led up to the shooting of a Venezuelan man in Minnesota in January.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
Former San Leandro City Councilman Bryan Azevedo pleaded guilty Wednesday to accepting a $2,000 bribe and then lying about it to federal agents — the first conviction in a sprawling East Bay political corruption scandal that has also ensnared Oakland’s former mayor.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
Investigators later determined the four officers fired nearly 100 shots, including three that were fired as Reed — a former standout basketball player at Westinghouse College Prep high school — was lying motionless on the ground.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Before you got twisted up by this lying con man?
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Images from the scene showed dozens of people lying bloodied on the floor of the Imambargah Khadijatul Kubra mosque in Islamabad's Tarlai suburb, while others were piled into any vehicles available to be transported to local hospitals.
—Sami Yousafzai, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
And so, after decades of lying abandoned, the area was slowly repopulated.
—Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lying
Adjective
-
That doesn't mean the dealer is dishonest, though.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Multiple points of validation will help combat dishonest applicants, Rowe told lawmakers at the time.—
Alex Derosier,
Twin Cities,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Sybiha said Russia uses a range of tactics to recruit foreigners, including financial incentives, deception and coercion.—
Ashley Carnahan,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The crux of the Democrats’ deception is that repealing 287(g) will make our communities safer.—
Robin Grammer,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In my opinion, this was very misleading because there was no mention of what levels of fertilizer used would cause these outcomes.—
Chris McKeown,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Government officials have defended officers’ actions as necessary and justified, while giving misleading or false accounts of some clashes.—
Natasha Korecki,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This week, in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Pam Bondi gave a master class in obfuscation, prevarication, and pettiness.—
John Ficarra,
Air Mail,
11 Oct. 2025
-
There was no picture, there was no drawing, there has been so many lies, so much prevarication, so much cover up.—
John Parkinson,
ABC News,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Congress foolishly downsized that number in the 1980s and ’90s on the erroneous belief that more doctors would encourage unnecessary health care consumption.—
Betsy McCaughey,
Boston Herald,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Civilians misidentified as undercover officers have been chased by anti-ICE mobs in public, even while the victims were going about their daily lives, based on erroneous reporting from fellow ICE monitors.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
An honor council, comprised of administrators, teachers, and members of the student government, would sit in judgment on cases of alleged cheating.—
Nell Freudenberger,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
In the wake of the cheating, FIS has modified its rules and brought in a coordinator to oversee screening of gear and hired former Austrian ski jumper Mathias Hafele to work as equipment expert.—
Brian Melley,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Supporters of recent state AI regulations said the measures will address potential threats to public safety and personal privacy, and to counter any mendacious actions created by AI, while not hindering innovation.—
Hope Moses,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Jan. 2026
-
In the dry California hills, an intentional community tries to build a pyre for one of its own, and, in the complex and mendacious aftermath, may end up sort of burning down the nation-state.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
14 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
What matters most is the dishonesty.—
Julian Givi,
Washington Post,
9 Feb. 2026
-
What matters most is the dishonesty.—
Danielle Hass,
The Conversation,
2 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lying. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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