Meaning & use
lying low
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Meanings
phrasephrasal verb
Staying out of sight or not attracting attention, usually for a period of time.
Grammar: Lying low is the -ing form of lie low. It is intransitive: you lie low, not lay low.
Patterns
- be lying low
- keep lying low
- lying low for a while
The celebrity has been lying low since the scandal broke.
We decided to lie low for a few days until things calmed down.
He is lying low in a small town while the police investigate.
phrasephrasal verb
Avoiding activity or attention in order to stay safe or wait for a situation to improve.
Grammar: Often used with for + time period: lying low for a month.
Patterns
- lying low until something happens
- lying low for a while
The company is lying low until the market recovers.
After the argument, she was lying low and avoiding her colleagues.
Common combinations
- be lying low
- The gang members are lying low after the robbery.
- keep lying low
- He kept lying low until the reporters lost interest.
- lying low for a while
- They are lying low for a while before making a comeback.
- decide to lie low
- The politician decided to lie low until the election was over.
Synonyms and how they differ
- keeping a low profile
- Keeping a low profile means the same as lying low but is slightly more formal and often used about public figures.
- hiding out
- Hiding out often suggests you are avoiding the police or danger; lying low can be for any reason, such as avoiding attention.
- staying out of sight
- Staying out of sight is a plain phrase meaning not being seen; lying low is more idiomatic and suggests a temporary strategy.
Opposites
Word family
- lie low phrase
- Base form of the idiom: to stay hidden or avoid attention.
- lay low phrase
- Often confused with lie low. Lay low is transitive and means to knock someone down or make them weak, or (informally) to hide, but many style guides consider it incorrect for 'hide'.
Commonly confused: lying low or laying low?
lying low vs laying low
Laying low is a common mistake. The correct form for hiding is lying low, because lie is intransitive. Laying low would need an object, as in 'laying the baby low' (which is rare and means putting someone down).
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
The correct idiom is lying low (from lie low). 'Laying low' is a common mistake because lay needs an object. 'Lieing' is not a correct spelling, and 'lain' is the past participle, not the -ing form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lying low”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.