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lie1

Pronunciation: /lʌɪ/
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Definition of lie

verb (lies, lying /ˈlʌɪɪŋ/; past lay /leɪ/; past participle lain /leɪn/)

[no object, with adverbial]
  • 1(of a person or animal) be in or assume a horizontal or resting position on a supporting surface:the body lay face downwards on the grass I had to lie down because I was groggy Lily lay back on the pillows and watched him
  • (of a thing) rest flat on a surface:a book lay open on the table
  • (of a dead person) be buried in a particular place: his body lies in a crypt his epitaph reads ‘Here lies Garcia, King of Galicia and Portugal’
  • 2be, remain, or be kept in a specified state:the abbey lies in ruins today putting homeless families into private houses that would otherwise lie empty
  • (of something abstract) reside or be found:the solution lies in a return to traditional values
  • 3(of a place) be situated in a specified position or direction:Kexby lies about five miles due east of York
  • (of a scene) extend from the observer’s viewpoint in a specified direction:stand here, and all of Amsterdam lies before you
  • British (of a competitor or team) be in a specified position during a competition or within a group:United are currently lying in fifth place
  • 4 Law (of an action, charge, or claim) be admissible or sustainable: an action for restitution would lie for money paid in breach of the law

noun

(usually the lie)
  • the way, direction, or position in which something lies:he was familiarizing himself with the lie of the streets
  • Golf the position in which a golf ball comes to rest, especially as regards the ease of the next shot: the lie, in deep rough on a bank, was not good
  • the lair or place of cover of an animal or a bird.

Phrases

let something lie

take no action regarding a problematic matter: ‘Are you planning a follow-up to the programme?’ ‘No, we’ll let it lie for now.’

lie heavy on one

cause one to feel troubled or uncomfortable: it was the loss of human life that lay heavy on him

lie in state

(of the corpse of a person of national importance) be laid in a public place of honour before burial: the candlelit chapel where the king’s body lay in state

lie low

(especially of a criminal) keep out of sight; avoid detection or attention: at the time of the murder he appears to have been lying low in a barn

the lie (North American lay) of the land

the features or characteristics of an area: a night patrol about to scout out the lie of the land
the current situation:she was beginning to see the lie of the land with her in-laws

take something lying down

[usually with negative] accept an insult, setback, or rebuke without protest: she’s laughing at me for being weak and I’m not going to take it lying down any longer

Phrasal Verbs

lie ahead

be going to happen:I’m excited by what lies ahead

lie around/about

(of an object) be left carelessly out of place: I became irritated at the pills and potions lying around the house
(of a person) pass the time lazily or aimlessly:you all just lay around all day on your backsides, didn’t you?

lie behind

be the real, often hidden, reason for (something):a subtle strategy lies behind such silly claims

lie in

British remain in bed after the normal time for getting up: if I’m not due anywhere I’ll lie in until something kick-starts the day
archaic (of a pregnant woman) go to bed to give birth: five hungry children, and a wife lying in of a sixth

lie off

Nautical (of a ship) stand some distance from shore or from another ship.

lie over

US break one’s journey:we’ll lie over in New York, then fly to London

lie to

Nautical (of a ship) come almost to a stop with its head towards the wind.

lie up

(of a ship) go into dock or be out of commission.

lie with

  • 1(of a responsibility) be attributable to (someone):ultimate responsibility for the violence lies with the President
  • 2 archaic have sexual intercourse with: if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife

Origin:

Old English licgan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch liggen and German liegen, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek lektron, lekhos and Latin lectus 'bed'

The verb lie is often confused with the verb lay, giving rise to incorrect uses such as he is laying on the bed (correct use is he is lying on the bed) or why don’t you lie it on the bed? (correct use is why don’t you lay it on the bed?). See lay1 (usage).

Spelling help

The different verb forms are: (lies, lying; the past tense is lay and the past participle is lain).

lie in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of lie in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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