Standard Lemma guide

lip-sync

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To move the lips in synchronization with sounds (generally recorded) so it appears they are the source of the sounds.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Qualifier: singing

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

Examples

  • She lip-synced to her own recording during the show because of her laryngitis.
  • There was a great scandal when it was discovered the singer had been only lip-syncing.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

move the lips in synchronization (with recorded speech or song)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lip-synch

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mouth

History

Etymology

From lip sync.

Across languages

Translations

27 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: fonoqramla oxumaq — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Azerbaijani: fonoqram oxumaq — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Chinese Mandarin: 假唱 (jiǎchàng) — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Chinese Mandarin: 對嘴 /对嘴 (duìzuǐ) — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Chinese Mandarin: 咪嘴 (mīzuǐ) — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Chinese Mandarin: 對口型 /对口型 (duìkǒuxíng) — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Dutch: playbacken — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Dutch: lippen — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Finnish: liikutella huuliaan — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Finnish: huulisynkata — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Finnish: laulaa playbackina — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • French: faire du playback — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • French: chanter en playback — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • German: lippensynchron singen — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Hungarian: tátog — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Italian: cantare in playback — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Japanese: 口パクする (kuchipaku suru) — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Japanese: リップシンクする (rippushinku suru) — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Norwegian: leppesynkronisering — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Polish: śpiewać z playbacku — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Portuguese: fazer playback — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Russian: исполня́ть под фоногра́мму (ispolnjátʹ pod fonográmmu) — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Spanish: hacer playback — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Swedish: mima — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Swedish: läppsynka — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Ukrainian: виконува́ти під фоногра́му (vykonuváty pid fonohrámu) — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
  • Vietnamese: hát nhép — to move lips in synchronization with sounds
Real reading context

lip-sync in complete knowledge articles