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lie

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verb [intransitive] British English pronunciation: lie /laɪ/ 
Word Forms
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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 village 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

    O’Connell is currently lying in second position in the world championship.

    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 British English definition of lie. View American English definition of lie.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 

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