lie
Pronunciation
[change]Verb 1
[change]|
Plain form |
Third-person singular |
Past tense |
Past participle |
Present participle |
- (intransitive) If you lie down, your head and whole body are at the same level. You lie down when you want to rest or sleep.
- She lay on the bed and went to sleep.
- If something lies somewhere, it is there and it is not moving.
- His dirty shirt was lying on the floor and old socks were everywhere.
Usage
[change]This word should not be confused with "lay", a separate verb. Unlike "lie", which is intransitive, "lay" is transitive, except when it is the past tense of "lie".
Related words
[change]Verb 2
[change]|
Plain form |
Third-person singular |
Past tense |
Past participle |
Present participle |
- (intransitive) If you lie, you say or write something that you know is not true.
- Synonym: fib
- Antonym: tell the truth
- "How old are you?" he asked. "Twenty-one," she lied. She was actually eighteen years old. Examples given in the old Webster dictionary says, why do you lie to me vs why do you just lie there. In past tense the word "lier" perceived in the new dictionary does not exist. It has been deleted from context to be depicted as "liar" when in fact they are two different existing words that have two different meanings all together. In example, to be a "lier" is to be a noun in context and to be a "liar" would be as a verb form. One depicts a person or being while the other depicts an action.