Verb

Infinitive to lie

Third person singular lies

Simple past lay

Past participle lain

Present participle lying

to lie (third-person singular simple present lies, present participle lying, simple past lay, past participle lain)

1. (intransitive) To be in a horizontal position.

   1811, Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, chapter 19 :"Without shutting herself up from her family, or leaving the house in determined solitude to avoid them, or lying awake the whole night to indulge meditation, Elinor found every day afforded her leisure enough to think of Edward"

2. (intransitive) To be placed or situated.

Derived terms

• lie down
• lie back

• lie in
• lie-in

Related terms

• lees
• lier

A lie (also called prevarication, falsehood) is a known untruth expressed as truth.

A lie is a type of deception in the form of an untruthful statement, especially with the intention to deceive others, often with the further intention to maintain a secret or reputation, protect someone's feelings or to avoid a punishment or repercussion for one's actions. To lie is to state something that one knows to be false or that one does not honestly believe to be true with the intention that a person will take it for the truth. A liar is a person who is lying, who has previously lied, or who tends by nature to lie repeatedly - even when not necessary.

Lying is typically used to refer to deceptions in oral or written communication. Other forms of deception, such as disguises or forgeries, are generally not considered lies, though the underlying intent may be the same. However, even a true statement can be used to deceive. In this situation, it is the intent of being overall untruthful rather than the truthfulness of any individual statement that is considered the lie.

Serious lies (such as perjury, fraud, and defamation) are punishable by law.

Classification