Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

lie

 - definition
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
verb [intransitive] American English pronunciation: lie /laɪ/ 
Word Forms
Close
present tense
I/you/we/theylie
he/she/itlies
present participlelying
past tenselay
past participlelain
 
  1. 1
    to be in a position in which your body is flat on a surface such as the floor or a bed
    lie on/in etc.:

    She was lying on the bed watching television.

    lie still/awake/unconscious etc.:

    I lay awake worrying about work.

    lie on your back/side/stomach etc.:

    Emma was lying on her back in the sunshine.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  lieThesaurus entry for this meaning of lie
    1. a.
      to put yourself in a position in which your body is flat on a surface

      Go and lie on the bed until you feel better.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  lieThesaurus entry for this meaning of lie
    See also  lay
  2. 2
    to be on a particular surface or in a particular place

    There were clothes lying all over the floor.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  lieThesaurus entry for this meaning of lie
    1. a.
      used for saying where a place is

      The resort lies in a valley.

      The farm lay a few miles to the north.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  lieThesaurus entry for this meaning of lie
    2. b.
      formal used for saying where someone is buried

      Here lies the body of James McDonald.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  lieThesaurus entry for this meaning of lie
  3. 3
    to be in a particular position in a competition

    As we go into the third round, Evans is lying in third place.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  lieThesaurus entry for this meaning of lie
  4. 4
    used for talking about things such as plans, ideas, and qualities and what they consist of

    He must decide where his future lies (=what he is going to do with his life).

    lie in:

    The difficulty lies in knowing what to do next.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  lieThesaurus entry for this meaning of lie
  5. 5
    if something lies in a particular state, it is in that state

    The castle lay in ruins.

    Her bag was lying open on the table.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  lieThesaurus entry for this meaning of lie
  6. 6
    if your interest lies in a particular subject, you are interested in it

    My main interest lies in the development of new technology.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  lieThesaurus entry for this meaning of lie
  7. 7
    past tense lied
    past participle lied
    to deliberately say something that is not true

    It was obvious that she was lying.

    lie about:

    He had to lie about his age to get into the army.

    lie to:

    She admitted lying to the police.

    lie through your teeth (=say something completely false):

    They say they’re not married but they’re lying through their teeth.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  lieThesaurus entry for this meaning of lie
    1. a.
      if something lies, it shows or suggests facts that are not true

      The results of these surveys often lie.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  lieThesaurus entry for this meaning of lie

phrases

This is the American English definition of lie. View British English definition of lie.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

 

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

watchword

a word or phrase that expresses someone’s attitude or intention

Open Dictionary

conflict mineral

a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog