Meaning & use
lie around
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To spend time relaxing and doing nothing, often in a lazy way.
Grammar: No object is used; the verb is followed by an adverbial or stands alone.
Patterns
- lie around
- lie around doing something
On Sunday mornings, I like to lie around in bed until noon.
The kids spent the whole afternoon lying around watching TV.
He's been lying around the house all day instead of looking for a job.
verbintransitive
To be left somewhere in a careless or untidy way.
Grammar: Used for objects; often with a place phrase.
Patterns
- lie around
- lie around something
There were dirty dishes lying around the kitchen.
Don't leave your books lying around; someone might trip over them.
Old newspapers had been lying around in the attic for years.
Common combinations
- lie around the house
- He spent the weekend just lying around the house.
- lie around doing nothing
- Stop lying around doing nothing and help me!
- lie around in bed
- I love to lie around in bed on rainy days.
- leave something lying around
- Please don't leave your shoes lying around.
Synonyms and how they differ
- lounge
- Suggests relaxing in a comfortable place, often more purposeful than just lying around.
- laze
- Focuses on being lazy and avoiding work; similar but often used with 'about' or 'around'.
- idle
- Means to spend time doing nothing, but can also mean to run an engine slowly; more formal.
Opposites
Commonly confused: lie around or lay around?
lie around vs lay around
'Lay around' is transitive and requires an object, e.g., 'She laid the blankets around the room.' 'Lie around' does not take an object.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The correct present tense third-person singular is 'lies around' because 'lie' is intransitive. 'Laid' is the past of 'lay' (transitive), and 'lied' is the past of 'lie' meaning to tell an untruth.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lie around”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.