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lie verb [ lʌɪ ]

• (of a person or animal) be in or assume a horizontal or resting position on a supporting surface.
• "the body lay face downwards on the grass"
Similar: recline, lie down, lie back, be recumbent, be prostrate, be supine, be prone, be stretched out, stretch oneself out, lean back, sprawl, rest, repose, relax, lounge, loll, bask,
Opposite: stand,
• be, remain, or be kept in a specified state.
• "the abbey lies in ruins today"
• (of a place) be situated in a specified position or direction.
• "Kexby lies about five miles due east of York"
Similar: be situated, be located, be placed, be positioned, be found, be sited, be established, be,
• (of an action, charge, or claim) be admissible or sustainable.
• "an action for restitution would lie for money paid in breach of the law"

lie noun

• the way, direction, or position in which something lies.
• "he was familiarizing himself with the lie of the streets"
Origin: Old English licgan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch liggen and German liegen, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek lektron, lekhos and Latin lectus ‘bed’.

lie noun

• an intentionally false statement.
• "they hint rather than tell outright lies"
Similar: untruth, falsehood, fib, fabrication, deception, made-up story, trumped-up story, fake news, invention, piece of fiction, fiction, falsification, falsity, fairy story/tale, cock and bull story, barefaced lie, (little) white lie, half-truth, exaggeration, prevarication, departure from the truth, alternative fact, yarn, story, red herring, fable, myth, flight of fancy, figment of the imagination, pretence, pretext, sham, misinformation, disinformation, perjury, dissimulation, mendacity, gossip, propaganda, tall story, tall tale, whopper, porky, pork pie, porky pie, terminological inexactitude, bullshit, bulldust,
Opposite: truth, fact,

lie verb

• tell a lie or lies.
• "why had Ashenden lied about his visit to London?"
Similar: say something untrue, tell an untruth, tell a lie, tell a falsehood, fib, fabricate, invent a story, make up a story, falsify, dissemble, dissimulate, bear false witness, tell a white lie, prevaricate, exaggerate, stretch the truth, perjure oneself, commit perjury, forswear oneself, be forsworn, bluff, pretend, depart from the truth, deceive, delude, mislead, trick, hoodwink, hoax, take in, lead astray, throw off the scent, send on a wild goose chase, put on the wrong track, lie through one's teeth, con, be economical with the truth, bullshit,
Opposite: tell the truth,
Origin: Old English lyge (noun), lēogan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch liegen and German lügen .

let something lie

• take no action regarding a problematic matter.
"‘Are you planning a follow-up to the programme?’ ‘No, we'll let it lie for now.’"

lie heavy on one

• cause one to feel troubled or uncomfortable.
"it was the loss of human life that lay heavy on him"

lie in state

• (of the corpse of a person of national importance) be laid in a public place of honour before burial.
"the candlelit chapel where the king's body lay in state"

lie low

• (especially of a criminal) keep out of sight; avoid detection or attention.
"at the time of the murder he appears to have been lying low in a barn"

take something lying down

• accept an insult, setback, or rebuke without protest.
"she's laughing at me for being weak and I'm not going to take it lying down any longer"

lie ahead

• be going to happen.
"I'm excited by what lies ahead"

lie around

• (of an object) be left carelessly out of place.
"I became irritated at the pills and potions lying around the house"

lie behind

• be the real, often hidden, reason for something.
"a subtle strategy lies behind such silly claims"

lie in

• remain in bed after the normal time for getting up.
"if I'm not due anywhere I'll lie in until something kick-starts the day"

lie off

• (of a ship) stand some distance from shore or from another ship.

lie to

• (of a ship) come almost to a stop with its head towards the wind.

lie up

• (of a ship) go into dock or be out of commission.

lie with

• be the responsibility or fault of a particular person.
"the responsibility lies with parents to teach children about healthy eating habits"


give the lie to

• serve to show that (something previously assumed to be the case) is not true.
"these figures give the lie to the notion that Britain is excessively strike-ridden"

I tell a lie

• used to correct oneself immediately when one realizes that one has made an incorrect remark.
"I never used to dream—I tell a lie, I did dream when I was little"

lie through one's teeth

• tell an outright lie without remorse.
"‘Don't worry, Lavender, you'll soon catch up’, Miss Honey said, lying through her teeth"



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