Standard Lemma guide

lying

adj · noun · verb · 7 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.

  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈlaɪ.ɪŋ/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aɪɪŋ
  • CMU ARPABET: L AY1 IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Tending to tell lies, untruthful, mendacious

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The act of one who lies, or keeps low to the ground.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • 1854, Saint Augustine, Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm LXIV, translated by Philip Schaff et al. But whom could the lyings in wait of the human heart escape?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An act or telling a lie or falsehood; the practice of telling lies.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

present participle and gerund of lie (“to rest in a horizontal position”)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

present participle and gerund of lie (“to intentionally give false information”)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

simple past and past participle of lye

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, participle, past

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

the deliberate act of deviating from the truth

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: prevarication, fabrication

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: falsification, misrepresentation

Narrower terms: fibbing, paltering

History

Etymology

lie (“to intentionally give false information”) + -ing.

lie (“to rest in a horizontal position”) + -ing.

lye. (a chemical liquid)

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Polish: kłamliwy — tending to tell lies
  • Finnish: makuu — act of keeping low to the ground
  • Finnish: makaaminen — act of keeping low to the ground
  • Galician: xacer — act of keeping low to the ground
  • Polish: leżenie — act of keeping low to the ground
  • Spanish: decúbito — act of keeping low to the ground
  • Arabic: كَذِب (kaḏib) — act of telling a lie
  • Bulgarian: лъжа (lǎža) — act of telling a lie
  • Finnish: valehtelu — act of telling a lie
  • Finnish: valehteleminen — act of telling a lie
  • German: lügend — act of telling a lie
  • Polish: kłamanie — act of telling a lie
  • Turkish: yalancılık — act of telling a lie
  • Ottoman Turkish: یالانجیلق (yalancılık) — act of telling a lie
Real reading context

lying in complete knowledge articles