lie
lie Lexical Profile
lie Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An intentionally false statement made with the purpose of deceiving someone.
"He told a blatant lie to cover up his absence from the afternoon meeting."
The way, direction, or position in which something rests or is situated, especially a golf ball on the course or the natural features of surrounding terrain.
"The golfer had a difficult lie in the deep rough near the edge of the bunker."
• verb
To be in or assume a horizontal or resting position on a supporting surface.
"The cat likes to lie on the warm windowsill throughout the afternoon."
To make an intentionally false statement with the intent to deceive (conjugated as 'lied' in the past tense and past participle).
"The witness chose to lie about his whereabouts on the evening in question."
To be situated or located in a particular place, direction, or geographic setting.
"A small fishing village lies in the valley just beyond the mountain ridge."
To remain or be kept in a specified state, condition, or abstract position.
"The historic factory lay vacant for nearly a decade before being converted into apartments."
Word Nuance & Usage
The intransitive verb 'lie' (meaning to recline; past tense 'lay', past participle 'lain') is frequently confused with the transitive verb 'lay' (meaning to put or set down an object; past tense and past participle 'laid'). Meanwhile, when 'lie' means to speak falsely, it is a regular verb conjugated as 'lied' in both the past tense and past participle.
• Rhymes for lie
Word Origin & Etymology
The word represents a convergence of two distinct Old English roots: the posture sense comes from 'licgan' (to rest horizontally), while the falsehood sense derives from the noun 'lyge' and verb 'leogan' (to deceive), both tracing back to separate Proto-Germanic origins.