lie

/laɪ/ (bre, ipa) · [lˈaɪ] /laɪ/ (ame, ipa) · [lˈaɪ] /ˈlī/ (ame, mw)

lie — verb

  • liepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • lies3rd person singular
  • lying-ing form
  • laypast simple
  • liedpast participle

1. to put your body in a flat resting position on a bed, sofa, floor, or other surf

1.動詞不及物A2
釋義

to put your body in a flat resting position on a bed, sofa, floor, or other surface

例句

After a long day, Christopher lay down on the sofa and closed his eyes.

lie + down + adverb/preposition for position

The doctor asked the patient to lie flat on the examination table.

lie + flat + on [surface]

同義詞
  • recline

    more formal; often used of sitting back or leaning back rather than fully horizontal

  • stretch out

    emphasises extending the body to full length; slightly informal

  • be prone

    formal, often medical; describes a face-down position

反義詞
  • stand

    opposite body position; upright on one's feet

  • sit up

    moving from a lying to a seated position

文法句型

lie + adverb/preposition

用法筆記

Past tense is 'lay' (not 'lied'): 'He lay on the sofa watching TV.' Past participle is 'lain': 'She had lain in bed all morning.' Frequently paired with adverbs of position (down, flat, still) and prepositional phrases (on the bed, by the fire).

常見錯誤

❌I laid on the bed for an hour.
✅I lay on the bed for an hour.
💡'Lay' (past tense of 'lie') means to recline; 'laid' is the past tense of 'lay,' which means to put something down.

2. for a physical object, a town, or a geographical feature to occupy some spot wit

2.動詞不及物B1
釋義

for a physical object, a town, or a geographical feature to occupy some spot within a larger area or stretch across a certain distance

例句

The small village lies in a valley between two steep mountains.

lie in [place] for location

Osaka lies about three hours west of Tokyo by bullet train.

同義詞
  • be situated

    more formal; commonly used of buildings and cities

  • be located

    neutral, very common in everyday speech

  • stretch

    emphasises extending over an area rather than a single point

文法句型

lie + adverb/preposition of place

用法筆記

More formal or literary than 'be located' or 'is in.' Common in descriptions of geography, travel directions, and spatial relationships. Often used in present simple when describing fixed locations.

常見錯誤

❌The town is laying to the north of the river.
✅The town lies to the north of the river.
💡'Lie' (location) does not take an object, so use 'lie' not 'lay.'

3. to have a real or abstract presence in a certain state, setting, or condition

3.動詞不及物B1
釋義

to have a real or abstract presence in a certain state, setting, or condition

例句

The real problem lies in the fact that nobody checks the equipment regularly.

problem lies in [noun phrase]

True happiness lies in appreciating the small moments of life.

同義詞
  • consist in

    more formal; 'Happiness consists in contentment'

  • be found

    more literal; less idiomatic for abstract subjects

  • reside

    formal; 'The power resides in the people'

文法句型

lie + in [noun/-ing]

用法筆記

Almost always followed by 'in,' 'with,' or an adverbial phrase. The subject is typically abstract (problem, answer, truth, power, meaning). Not used with animate subjects or concrete objects — for those, use sense 1 or 2.

4. if a duty, fault, or the authority to choose something lies with a person or gro

4.動詞不及物C2
釋義

if a duty, fault, or the authority to choose something lies with a person or group, they carry that duty, bear the fault, or hold the authority to decide

例句

The final decision on the merger lies with the board of directors.

decision lies with [authority]

Responsibility for workplace safety lies with every single employee.

同義詞
  • belong to

    less formal; 'The choice belongs to the committee'

  • rest with

    equally formal; 'The final say rests with the chairperson'

  • fall to

    emphasises the burden aspect; 'The task fell to the vice-president'

反義詞
  • be shared by

    contrary concept; responsibility distributed rather than concentrated

文法句型

lie with + person/institution

用法筆記

Always paired with 'with' — never 'lie on' or 'lie to' in this sense. The subject is an abstract noun (responsibility, blame, choice, decision, duty). Frequently passive-like in meaning even though the verb form is active. Common in legal, business, and formal contexts.

5. a phrase describing the public display of a deceased national figure's body, pla

5.動詞不及物B2
釋義

a phrase describing the public display of a deceased national figure's body, placed in an official building so that citizens may see it and offer their respects ahead of the funeral

例句

The former prime minister's body lay in state in the parliament building for two days.

body lies in state at [place]

Thousands of citizens waited in line to honour the queen as she lay in state.

用法筆記

Fixed phrase — 'lie in state' cannot be split or reordered. Cannot be used for ordinary people or everyday deaths. The past tense is 'lay in state': 'The general lay in state for a week.'

6. to state or claim something false on purpose, fully aware that it does not match

6.動詞不及物B1
釋義

to state or claim something false on purpose, fully aware that it does not match reality, aiming to fool another person

例句

Pim admitted that he had lied to the club owner about his real age.

lie to [person] about [thing]

Kian's younger sister lied when she said she had finished all her vegetables.

同義詞
  • tell a lie

    more conversational; slightly less direct than 'lie'

  • fib

    informal; suggests a small or harmless lie

  • deceive

    broader; can include non-verbal trickery

  • be dishonest

    more general; covers any untruthful behaviour

反義詞

文法句型

lie + to + person

lie + about + thing

lie to + person + about + thing

用法筆記

Regular verb: lie — lied — lied (not to be confused with the position verb 'lie,' whose past tense is 'lay'). The pattern is 'lie to someone about something.' Can be used transitively in phrases like 'lie your way out of something' or 'lie your head off.'

常見錯誤

❌He lied on the bed all morning.
✅He lay on the bed all morning.
💡The past tense of 'lie' (to recline) is 'lay,' not 'lied.' Only the falsehood sense becomes 'lied.'

7. a conversational opening that reduces the sting of an awkward confession or a cr

7.動詞B2
釋義

a conversational opening that reduces the sting of an awkward confession or a critical remark aimed at someone

例句

I won't lie — I was really nervous before my first ever job interview.

I won't lie + [admission]

I'm not gonna lie, that new restaurant was way too expensive for what it serves.

informal register: I'm not gonna lie

同義詞

文法句型

I won't lie, [statement]

I'm not gonna lie, [statement]

用法筆記

Distinguish this discourse-marker sense from sense 6: here 'lie' is always in first-person negative or conditional (I won't lie / I'm not gonna lie / if I'm honest) and introduces a frank opinion or admission. The phrase is a signal of upcoming honesty, not an accusation of falsehood.

8. for something, particularly an unwanted outcome, to have its root or starting po

8.動詞不及物C1
釋義

for something, particularly an unwanted outcome, to have its root or starting point in a specific factor

例句

The root of the problem lies in poor communication between the two departments.

problem lies in [cause]

Many of his deepest fears lie in painful childhood experiences he never discussed.

同義詞
  • originate

    more active verb; 'The custom originated in China'

  • stem from

    emphasises the causal chain; 'His anger stemmed from insecurity'

  • be rooted in

    metaphorical; 'The conflict is rooted in historical disputes'

文法句型

lie in [thing]

用法筆記

Overlaps with sense 3 (EXIST), but sense 8 specifically traces an effect back to its origin or root cause. Always takes 'in.' The subject is the effect or outcome; the object of 'in' is the origin. Common with neutral and negative outcomes ('problem', 'cause', 'danger') more than positive ones.

lie — noun