What does “lie” mean?
- 1
verbto be or put yourself in a flat position
I’m going to lie down for a few minutes.
- 2
verbto say something that you know is not true
He lied about his age.
- 3
nounsomething you say that you know is false
She told a lie to avoid trouble.
Lie at a glance
- Part of speech
- verb & noun
- CEFR level
- A2 (elementary)
- Pronunciation
- /laɪ/ · LY
- Forms
- lay, lain, lying, lied
How to use “lie” correctly
“Lie” (rest flat) goes lie/lay/lain; “lie” (say something false) goes lie/lied/lied. Don’t mix it up with “lay”, which needs an object.
Common phrases with “lie”
- lie down
- lie in bed
- tell a lie
- lie to sb
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
Word family
- liar
Idioms with “lie”
- Let sleeping dogs lie: Avoid talking about an old problem because it could cause trouble again.
“lie” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
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- catch verbA2to take hold of something that is moving through the air
- continue verbA2to keep doing something or keep happening without stopping
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