Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Lie

Lie

(lī)
,
Noun.
See
Lye
.

Lie

(lī)
,
Noun.
[AS.
lyge
; akin to D.
leugen
, OHG.
lugi
, G.
lüge
,
lug
, Icel.
lygi
, Dan. & Sw.
lögn
, Goth.
liugn
. See
Lie
to utter a falsehood.]
1.
A falsehood uttered or acted for the purpose of deception; an intentional violation of truth; an untruth spoken with the intention to deceive.
The proper notion of a
lie
is an endeavoring to deceive another by signifying that to him as true, which we ourselves think not to be so.
S. Clarke.
It is willful deceit that makes a
lie
. A man may act a
lie
, as by pointing his finger in a wrong direction when a traveler inquires of him his road.
Paley.
2.
A fiction; a fable; an untruth.
Dryden.
3.
Anything which misleads or disappoints.
Wishing this
lie
of life was o’er.
Trench.
To give the lie to
.
(a)
To charge with falsehood;
as, the man
gave him the lie
.
(b)
To reveal to be false;
as, a man's actions may
give the lie to
his words
.
–
White lie
,
a euphemism for such lies as one finds it convenient to tell, and excuses himself for telling.
Syn. – Untruth; falsehood; fiction; deception.
–
Lie
,
Untruth
. A man may state what is untrue from ignorance or misconception; hence, to impute an untruth to one is not necessarily the same as charging him with a lie. Every lie is an untruth, but not every untruth is a lie. Cf.
Falsity
.

Lie

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Lied
(līd)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Lying
(lī′ĭng)
.]
[OE.
lien
,
liȝen
,
leȝen
,
leoȝen
, AS.
leógan
; akin to D.
liegen
, OS. & OHG.
liogan
, G.
lügen
, Icel.
ljūga
, Sw.
ljuga
, Dan.
lyve
, Goth.
liugan
, Russ.
lgate
.]
To utter falsehood with an intention to deceive; to say or do that which is intended to deceive another, when he a right to know the truth, or when morality requires a just representation.

Lie

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp.
Lay
(lā)
;
p. p.
Lain
(lān)
, (
Lien
(lī′ĕn)
,
Obs.
);
p. pr. & vb. n.
Lying
.]
[OE.
lien
,
liggen
, AS.
licgan
; akin to D.
liggen
, OHG.
ligen
,
licken
, G.
liegen
, Icel.
liggja
, Sw.
ligga
, Dan.
ligge
, Goth.
ligan
, Russ.
lejate
, L.
lectus
bed, Gr.
λέχοσ
bed,
λέξασθαι
to lie. Cf.
Lair
,
Law
,
Lay
,
Verb.
T.
,
Litter
,
Low
,
Adj.
]
1.
To rest extended on the ground, a bed, or any support; to be, or to put one's self, in an horizontal position, or nearly so; to be prostate; to be stretched out; – often with
down
, when predicated of living creatures;
as, the book
lies
on the table; the snow
lies
on the roof; he
lies
in his coffin.
The watchful traveler . . .
Lay
down again, and closed his weary eyes.
Dryden.
2.
To be situated; to occupy a certain place;
as, Ireland
lies
west of England; the meadows
lie
along the river; the ship
lay
in port.
3.
To abide; to remain for a longer or shorter time; to be in a certain state or condition;
as, to
lie
waste; to
lie
fallow; to
lie
open; to
lie
hid; to
lie
grieving; to
lie
under one's displeasure; to
lie
at the mercy of the waves; the paper does not
lie
smooth on the wall.
4.
To be or exist; to belong or pertain; to have an abiding place; to consist; – with in.
Envy
lies
between beings equal in nature, though unequal in circumstances.
Collier.
He that thinks that diversion may not
lie
in hard labor, forgets the early rising and hard riding of huntsmen.
Locke.
5.
To lodge; to sleep.
Whiles I was now trifling at home, I saw London, . . . where I
lay
one night only.
Evelyn.
Mr. Quinion
lay
at our house that night.
Dickens.
6.
To be still or quiet, like one lying down to rest.
The wind is loud and will not
lie
.
Shakespeare
7.
(Law)
To be sustainable; to be capable of being maintained.
“An appeal lies in this case.”
Parsons.
☞ Through ignorance or carelessness speakers and writers often confuse the forms of the two distinct verbs lay and lie. Lay is a transitive verb, and has for its preterit laid; as, he told me to lay it down, and I laid it down. Lie is intransitive, and has for its preterit lay; as, he told me to lie down, and I lay down. Some persons blunder by using laid for the preterit of lie; as, he told me to lie down, and I laid down. So persons often say incorrectly, the ship laid at anchor; they laid by during the storm; the book was laying on the shelf, etc. It is only necessary to remember, in all such cases, that laid is the preterit of lay, and not of lie.
To lie along the shore
(Naut.)
,
to coast, keeping land in sight.
–
To lie at the door of
,
to be imputable to; as, the sin, blame, etc., lies at your door.
–
To lie at the heart
,
to be an object of affection, desire, or anxiety.
Sir W. Temple.
–
To lie at the mercy of
,
to be in the power of.
–
To lie by
.
(a)
To remain with; to be at hand;
as, he has the manuscript
lying by
him
.
(b)
To rest; to intermit labor; as, we lay by during the heat of the day.
–
To lie hard
or
To lie heavy
,
to press or weigh; to bear hard.
–
To lie in
,
to be in childbed; to bring forth young.
–
To lie in one
,
to be in the power of; to belong to.
“As much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”
Rom. xii. 18.
–
To lie in the way
,
to be an obstacle or impediment.
–
To lie in wait
,
to wait in concealment; to lie in ambush.
–
To lie on
or
To lie upon
.
(a)
To depend on;
as, his life
lies on
the result
.
(b)
To bear, rest, press, or weigh on.
–
To lie low
,
to remain in concealment or inactive.
[Slang]
–
To lie on hand
,
To lie on one's hands
,
to remain unsold or unused;
as, the goods are still
lying on his hands
; they have too much time
lying on their hands
.
–
To lie on the head of
,
to be imputed to.

What he gets more of her than sharp words, let it
lie on my head
.
Shakespeare
–
To lie over
.
(a)
To remain unpaid after the time when payment is due, as a note in bank.
(b)
To be deferred to some future occasion, as a resolution in a public deliberative body.
–
To lie to
(Naut.)
,
to stop or delay; especially, to head as near the wind as possible as being the position of greatest safety in a gale; – said of a ship. Cf.
To bring to
, under
Bring
.
–
To lie under
,
to be subject to; to suffer; to be oppressed by.
–
To lie with
.
(a)
To lodge or sleep with.
(b)
To have sexual intercourse with.
(c)
To belong to;
as, it
lies with
you to make amends
.

Lie

(lī)
,
Noun.
The position or way in which anything lies; the lay, as of land or country.
J. H. Newman.
He surveyed with his own eyes . . . the
lie
of the country on the side towards Thrace.
Jowett (Thucyd.).

Webster 1828 Edition

Lie

LIE

, water impregnated with alkaline salt, is written lye, to distinguish it from lie, a falsehood.

LIE

, n.
1.
A criminal falsehood; a falsehood uttered for the purpose of deception; an intentional violation of truth. Fiction, or a false statement or representation, not intended to deceive, mislead or injure, as in fables, parables and the like, is not a lie.
It is willful deceit that makes a lie. A man may act a lie, as by pointing his finger in a wrong direction, when a traveler inquires of him his road.
2.
A fiction; in a ludicrous sense.
3.
False doctrine. 1John 2.
4.
An idolatrous picture of God, or a false god. Romans 1.
5.
That which deceives and disappoints confidence.
Micah 1.
To give the lie, to charge with falsehood. A man's actions may give the lie to his words.

LIE

, v.i.
1.
To utter falsehood with an intention to deceive, or with an immoral design.
Thou hast not lied to men, but to God. Acts 5.
2.
To exhibit a false representation; to say or do that which deceives another, when he has a right to know the truth, or when morality requires a just representation.

LIE

,
Verb.
I.
pret. lay; pp. lain, [lien, obs.] [The Gr. word usually signifies to speak, which is to utter or throw out sounds. Hence to lie down is to throw one's self down, and probably lie and lay are of one family, as are jacio and jacceo, in Latin.]
1.
To be in a horizontal position, or nearly so, and to rest on any thing lengthwise, and not on the end. Thus a person lies on a bed, and a fallen tree on the ground. A cask stands on its end, but lies on its side.
2.
To rest in an inclining posture; to lean; as, to lie on or against a column.
3.
To rest; to press on.
4.
To be reposited in the grave.
All the kings of the earth, even all of them, lie in glory.
Is. 14.
5.
To rest on a bed or couch; to be prostrate; as, to lie sick.
My little daughter lieth at the point of death. Mark 5.
6.
To be situated. New Haven lies in the forty second degree of north latitude. Ireland lies west of England.
Envy lies between beings equal in nature, though unequal in circumstances.
7.
To be; to rest; to abide; to remain; often followed by some word denoting a particular condition; as, to lie waste; to lie fallow; to lie open; to lie hid; to lie pining or grieving; to lie under one's displeasure; to lie at the mercy of a creditor, or at the mercy of the waves.
8.
To consist.
He that thinks that diversion may not lie in hard labor, forgets the early rising of the huntsman.
9.
To be sustainable in law; to be capable of being maintained. An action lies against the tenant for waste.
An appeal lies in this case.
To lie at, to tease or importune. [Little used.]
To lie at the heart, to be fixed as an object of affection or anxious desire.
1.
To lie by, to be reposited, or remaining with. He has the manuscript lying by him.
2.
To rest; to intermit labor. We lay by during the heat of the day.
To lie in the way, to be an obstacle or impediment. Remove the objections that lie in the way of an amicable adjustment.
To lie hard or heavy, to press; to oppress; to burden.
To lie on hand, to be or remain in possession; to remain unsold or undisposed of.
Great quantities of wine lie on hand, or have lain long on hand.
To lie on the hands, to remain unoccupied or unemployed; to be tedious. Men are sometimes at a loss to know how to employ the time that lies on their hands.
To lie on the head, to be imputed.
What he gets more of her than sharp words, let it lie on my head.
To lie in wait, to wait for in concealment; to lie in ambush; to watch for an opportunity to attack or seize.
To lie in one, to be in the power of; to belong to.
As much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Romans 41.
To lie down, to lay the body on the ground or other level place; also, to go to rest.
To lie in, to be in childbed; to bring forth young.
To lie under, to be subject to; to suffer; to be oppressed by.
To lie on or upon, to be a matter of obligation or duty. It lies on the plaintiff to maintain his action.
1.
To lie with, to lodge or sleep with; also, to have carnal knowledge of.
2.
To belong to. It lies with you to make amends.
To lie over, to remain unpaid, after the time when payment is due; as a note in bank.
To lie to, to be stationary, as a ship.

Definition 2024

lie

lie

See also: LIE, lié, líe, liè, liē, liě, and li'e

English

Verb

lie ‎(third-person singular simple present lies, present participle lying, simple past lay, past participle lain)

  1. (intransitive) To rest in a horizontal position on a surface.
    The book lies on the table;  the snow lies on the roof;  he lies in his coffin‎
  2. (intransitive) To be placed or situated.
    • 1992, Rudolf M. Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, page vii
      Hepaticology, outside the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere, still lies deep in the shadow cast by that ultimate "closet taxonomist," Franz Stephani—a ghost whose shadow falls over us all.
    • 2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52:
      From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away.
  3. To abide; to remain for a longer or shorter time; to be in a certain state or condition.
    to lie waste;  to lie fallow; to lie open;  to lie hidden;  to lie grieving;  to lie under one's displeasure;  to lie at the mercy of the waves‎
    The paper does not lie smooth on the wall.‎
  4. To be or exist; to belong or pertain; to have an abiding place; to consist; used with in.
    • Arthur Collier (1680-1732)
      Envy lies between beings equal in nature, though unequal in circumstances.
    • John Locke (1632-1705)
      He that thinks that diversion may not lie in hard labour, forgets the early rising and hard riding of huntsmen.
  5. (archaic) To lodge; to sleep.
    • John Evelyn (1620-1706)
      While I was now trifling at home, I saw London, […] where I lay one night only.
    • Charles Dickens (1812-1870)
      Mr. Quinion lay at our house that night.
  6. To be still or quiet, like one lying down to rest.
  7. (law) To be sustainable; to be capable of being maintained.
    • Ch. J. Parsons
      An appeal lies in this case.
Usage notes

The verb lie in this sense is sometimes used interchangeably with the verb lay in informal spoken settings. This can lead to nonstandard constructions which are sometimes objected to. Additionally, the past tense and past participle can both become laid, instead of lay and lain respectively, in less formal settings. These usages are common in speech but rarely found in edited writing or in more formal spoken situations.

Derived terms
Related terms
  • lay, a corresponding transitive version of this word
  • lees
  • lier
Translations

Noun

lie ‎(plural lies)

  1. (golf) The terrain and conditions surrounding the ball before it is struck.
  2. (medicine) The position of a fetus in the womb.
Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English lien ‎(“to lie, tell a falsehood”), from Old English lēogan ‎(“to lie”), from Proto-Germanic *leuganą ‎(“to lie”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewgʰ- ‎(“to lie, swear, bemoan”). Cognate with West Frisian lige ‎(“to lie”), Low German legen, lögen ‎(“to lie”), Dutch liegen ‎(“to lie”), German lügen ‎(“to lie”), Norwegian ljuge/lyge ‎(“to lie”), Danish lyve ‎(“to lie”), Swedish ljuga ‎(“to lie”), and more distantly with Bulgarian лъжа ‎(lǎža, “to lie”), Russian лгать ‎(lgatʹ, “to lie”), ложь ‎(ložʹ, “falsehood”).

Verb

lie ‎(third-person singular simple present lies, present participle lying, simple past and past participle lied)

  1. (intransitive) To give false information intentionally.
    When Pinocchio lies, his nose grows.
    If you are found to have lied in court, you could face a penalty.
    While a principle-based approach might claim that lying is always morally wrong, the casuist would argue that, depending upon the details of the case, lying might or might not be illegal or unethical. The casuist might conclude that a person is wrong to lie in legal testimony under oath, but might argue that lying actually is the best moral choice if the lie saves a life.WP
  2. (intransitive) To convey a false image or impression.
    Photos often lie.
    Hips don't lie.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English lie, from Old English lyġe ‎(“lie, falsehood”), from Proto-Germanic *lugiz ‎(“lie, falsehood”), from Proto-Indo-European *leugh- ‎(“to tell lies, swear, complain”), *lewgʰ-. Cognate with Old Saxon luggi ‎(“a lie”), Old High German lugī, lugin ‎(“a lie”) (German Lüge), Danish løgn ‎(“a lie”), Bulgarian лъжа́ ‎(lǎžá, “а lie”).

Noun

lie ‎(plural lies)

  1. An intentionally false statement; an intentional falsehood.
    I knew he was telling a lie by his facial expression.
  2. A statement intended to deceive, even if literally true; a half-truth
  3. Anything that misleads or disappoints.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Trench:
      Wishing this lie of life was o'er.
    The cake is a lie. - Portal
Synonyms
  • See also Wikisaurus:lie
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: turning · village · quickly · #814: lie · supposed · original · provide

Anagrams

Finnish

Verb

lie

  1. (nonstandard) Third-person singular potential present form of olla.
    Se on missä lie.
    It's somewhere. / I wonder where it is.
    Tai mitä lie ovatkaan
    Or whatever they are.

Usage notes

  • This form is used mostly in the expression missä lie.

Synonyms

  • (3rd-pers. sg. potent. pres. of olla; standard) lienee

Anagrams

French

Etymology

Probably from Transalpine Gaulish *liga ‎(“silt, sediment”), from Proto-Indo-European *legh- ‎(“to lie, to lay”).

Noun

lie f ‎(plural lies)

  1. lees, dregs (of wine, of society)

Verb

lie

  1. first-person singular present indicative of lier
  2. third-person singular present indicative of lier
  3. first-person singular present subjunctive of lier
  4. third-person singular present subjunctive of lier
  5. second-person singular imperative of lier

Anagrams

Mandarin

Romanization

lie (Zhuyin ㄌㄧㄝ˙)

  1. Pinyin transcription of 咦
  2. Nonstandard spelling of liē.
  3. Nonstandard spelling of liě.
  4. Nonstandard spelling of liè.

Usage notes

  • English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

Old French

Etymology

See English lees.

Noun

lie f ‎(oblique plural lies, nominative singular lie, nominative plural lies)

  1. dregs; mostly solid, undesirable leftovers of a drink

Descendants

Spanish

Verb

lie

  1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of liar.
  2. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted?) present subjunctive form of liar.

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish līe, lē, from Old Norse lé, from Proto-Germanic *lewą, from Proto-Indo-European *leu- ‎(“to cut”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /liːɛ/

Noun

lie c

  1. scythe; an instrument for mowing grass, grain, or the like.

Declension

Inflection of lie 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative lie lien liar liarna
Genitive lies liens liars liarnas

Related terms

  • lieblad
  • liehugg
  • lieknagg
  • lieknagge
  • lieman
  • lieorv
  • lieskaft
  • lietag

References

Etymology

From Middle English lien, liggen, from Old English licgan, from Proto-Germanic *ligjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ-. Cognate with West Frisian lizze, Dutch liggen, German liegen, Danish ligge, Swedish ligga, Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 ‎(ligan); and with Latin lectus ‎(“bed”), Irish luighe, Russian лежа́ть ‎(ležátʹ), Albanian lagje ‎(“inhabited area, neighbourhood”).

As a noun for position, the noun has the same etymology above as the verb.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /laɪ̯/
  • Rhymes: -aɪ
  • Homophones: lye, lai

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