Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Lie
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 wordsWhite lie
, a euphemism for such lies as one finds it convenient to tell, and excuses himself for telling.
Syn. – Untruth; falsehood; fiction; deception.
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
.] 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 amendsLie
(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.
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.