lie

IPA/laɪ/
KK[lˈaɪ]IPA/laɪ/

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.verbintransitiveA2
Definition

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

Example

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]

Common collocations
  • lie down
  • lie flat
  • lie still
  • lie on your back/side/stomach
  • lie in bed
  • lie in the sun
Synonyms
  • 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

Antonyms
  • stand

    opposite body position; upright on one's feet

  • sit up

    moving from a lying to a seated position

Grammar Patterns

lie + adverb/preposition

Usage Note

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).

Common Mistakes

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.verbintransitiveB1
Definition

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

Example

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.

Common collocations
  • lie to the north/south/east/west
  • lie beyond
  • lie ahead
  • lie between
  • lie in a valley
  • lie along the coast
Synonyms
  • 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

Grammar Patterns

lie + adverb/preposition of place

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

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.verbintransitiveB1
Definition

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

Example

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.

Common collocations
  • lie in
  • lie with
  • the problem lies in
  • the answer lies in
  • lies at the heart of
Synonyms
  • 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'

Grammar Patterns

lie + in [noun/-ing]

Usage Note

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.verbintransitiveC2
Definition

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

Example

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.

Common collocations
  • lies with
  • lies entirely with
  • lies ultimately with
  • the choice lies with
  • the responsibility lies with
Synonyms
  • 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'

Antonyms
  • be shared by

    contrary concept; responsibility distributed rather than concentrated

Grammar Patterns

lie with + person/institution

Usage Note

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.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

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

Example

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.

Common collocations
  • lie in state
  • body lies in state
  • lie in state at

Usage Note

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.verbintransitiveB1
Definition

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

Example

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.

Common collocations
  • lie to someone
  • lie about something
  • caught lying
  • stop lying
  • lied through his teeth
Synonyms
  • 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

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

lie + to + person

lie + about + thing

lie to + person + about + thing

Usage Note

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.'

Common Mistakes

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.verbB2
Definition

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

Example

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

Common collocations
  • I won't lie
  • I'm not gonna lie
  • not gonna lie
  • if I'm (being) honest
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

I won't lie, [statement]

I'm not gonna lie, [statement]

Usage Note

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.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

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

Example

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.

Common collocations
  • lie in
  • root lies in
  • cause lies in
  • lies in the fact that
Synonyms
  • 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'

Grammar Patterns

lie in [thing]

Usage Note

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.

Phrasal verbs

lie around

phrasal verb

To be left in a place not put away properly.

Books and papers lay around the messy room.

Don't leave your toys lying around the house.

lie back

phrasal verb

To lean backward and relax.

After a long day, Sara lay back on the sofa.

Lie back and close your eyes for a moment.

lie behind

phrasal verb

To be the hidden reason for something.

What lies behind his sudden decision to quit?

Curiosity lay behind her many questions.

lie down

phrasal verb

To put yourself in a flat position on a surface.

The doctor told him to lie down on the bed.

Feeling dizzy, Maya decided to lie down for a while.

lie in

phrasal verb

To stay in bed later than usual in the morning.

On Sundays, Brian likes to lie in until noon.

No school tomorrow, so I can lie in.

lie with

phrasal verb

To be the responsibility of someone.

The final decision lies with the manager.

The blame for the error lies with the team leader.

Idioms

be/lie at the bottom of something

idiom

To be the hidden reason for something bad.

Maya wondered what lay at the bottom of his anger.

What lies at the bottom of these repeated failures?

hang/lie heavy

idiom

To be very noticeable in a place in an unpleasant way.

The smell of smoke hung heavy in the room.

Guilt lay heavy on her conscience after the lie.

let sleeping dogs lie

idiom

To avoid talking about a past problem to prevent trouble.

Brian decided to let sleeping dogs lie and not ask.

Why bring that up? Let sleeping dogs lie.

lie ahead/in store

idiom

To be going to happen to someone in the future.

No one knew what lay in store for the team.

Exciting adventures lie ahead for young Sara.

lie flat

idiom

To reject hard work and choose a simple, low-effort life.

Many young people in China choose to lie flat.

Diego decided to lie flat and stop chasing promotions.

lie in state

idiom

To be displayed in a public place before burial.

The former president's body lay in state at the capitol.

Thousands visited the hall where the leader lay in state.

lie in wait (for somebody)

idiom

To hide and wait to surprise or attack someone.

The cat lay in wait for the mouse near the hole.

Reporters were lying in wait for the actor outside.

lie low

idiom

To try not to be noticed by others.

After the scandal, the politician decided to lie low.

Mia told her brother to lie low until the trouble passed.

see, etc. how the land lies

idiom

To find out what the situation is before acting.

Let's see how the land lies before we invest.

He wanted to check how the land lay first.

take something lying down

idiom

To accept an insult or unfair treatment without fighting back.

She won't take that insult lying down.

Aiden refused to take the criticism lying down.

lie — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/6

All four words relate to saying or creating something untrue, but they differ in intent, scope, and seriousness. 'Lie' is the most direct and common — it means to knowingly say something false with the intent to trick. 'Deceive' is broader: you can deceive someone without speaking a word, for example by hiding the truth or creating a false impression through action. 'Mislead' is gentler — it suggests causing someone to believe something false without necessarily intending to be dishonest; a misleading statement can be technically true but arranged to create a wrong conclusion. 'Fib' is informal and minimises the seriousness: a fib is a small, often harmless lie told to avoid hurting someone's feelings or to avoid a trivial problem. For instance: 'He lied about his qualifications to get the job' (serious, intentional falsehood); 'The advertisement misled customers into thinking the product was organic' (technically true but arranged to confuse); 'She fibbed about liking the gift to avoid hurting her aunt's feelings' (small, well-intentioned untruth).

lie ↗deceive ↗misleadfib ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

The English word 'lie' is actually two separate words that happen to have the same spelling (homographs). The position meaning (to recline, be located) comes from Old English 'licgan,' from Proto-Germanic '*ligjan,' from the Proto-Indo-European root '*legh-' meaning 'to lie down.' The falsehood meaning (to tell an untruth) comes from a completely different source — Old English 'lyge' (a falsehood) and 'leogan' (to tell a lie), from Proto-Germanic '*lugiz,' from the PIE root '*leugh-' meaning 'to tell a lie.' These two word families merged in form over centuries, giving us the same modern spelling for two unrelated meanings.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Noun (1)