Meaning & use
lying
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“lying” is a form of “lie”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
Saying something you know is false in order to deceive.
Grammar: No object; takes to or about: lying to the police.
Patterns
- lying to someone
- lying about something
He was lying about where he had been last night.
Stop lying to me and tell the truth.
The witness was caught lying under oath.
verbintransitive
Resting flat with the body stretched along a surface.
Grammar: No object; the past tense is lay, unlike lie meaning to deceive.
Patterns
- lying on something
- lying in something
The cat was lying on the warm windowsill.
She spent the afternoon lying in a hammock.
He was lying on his back looking at the stars.
verbintransitiveliterary
Being located or found in a particular place or state.
Grammar: Usually followed by a place word: the village is lying at the foot of a hill.
Patterns
- lying in something
- lying ahead
The island was lying just off the coast.
Many challenges are lying ahead of the team.
Papers were lying all over the desk.
Word forms
| base form | lie |
|---|---|
| third person singular | lies |
| past tense (to deceive) | lied |
| past tense (to rest flat) | lay |
| past participle (to rest flat) | lain |
Common combinations
- lying about
- I think he was lying about his age.
- lying to
- She felt guilty about lying to her parents.
- lying on the floor
- The toddler was lying on the floor.
- lying awake
- He spent hours lying awake worrying.
- lying low
- The thief was lying low until the police left.
- lying in wait
- A cat was lying in wait behind the bush.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fibbing
- Fibbing is lighter and is for small, harmless untruths, while lying can be serious.
- deceiving
- Deceiving is wider, since it can be done without words, but lying uses false statements.
- reclining
- Reclining is more formal and means leaning back, whereas lying means being flat.
- resting
- Resting stresses relaxing, while lying says nothing about rest.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: lying or laying?
lying vs laying
Laying comes from lay, which needs an object (laying a book on the table), while lying has no object.
Practice
Yesterday I was tired, so I ___ on the sofa for an hour. Which form completes the sentence for resting flat?
Choose one answer.
For resting flat, the past tense of lie is lay. Lied is for deceiving, laid is the past of lay (put down), and lain needs has or had.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lying”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.