lie 1 of 3

verb (1)

ˈlī How to pronounce lie (audio)
Definition of lienext
as in to deceive
to make a statement one knows to be untrue would I lie to you about that?

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

lie

2 of 3

verb (2)

ˈlī How to pronounce lie (audio)
1
as in to lead
to be positioned along a certain course or in a certain direction the train tracks lie just over that hill

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to be
to occupy a place or location I left the book lying on the counter

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to hide
to remain out of sight paparazzi were lying in wait outside the restaurant, a well-known celebrity hangout

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

lie

3 of 3

noun

ˈlī How to pronounce lie (audio)
as in tale
a statement known by its maker to be untrue and made in order to deceive he wanted to deny the accusation, but he couldn't tell a lie

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb lie differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of lie are equivocate, fib, palter, and prevaricate. While all these words mean "to tell an untruth," lie is the blunt term, imputing dishonesty.

lied about where he had been

When could equivocate be used to replace lie?

The words equivocate and lie are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, equivocate implies using words having more than one sense so as to seem to say one thing but intend another.

equivocated endlessly in an attempt to mislead her inquisitors

Where would fib be a reasonable alternative to lie?

While in some cases nearly identical to lie, fib applies to a telling of a trivial untruth.

fibbed about the price of the new suit

When is it sensible to use palter instead of lie?

While the synonyms palter and lie are close in meaning, palter implies making unreliable statements of fact or intention or insincere promises.

a swindler paltering with his investors

How do prevaricate and lie relate to one another?

Prevaricate softens the bluntness of lie by implying quibbling or confusing the issue.

during the hearings the witness did his best to prevaricate

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lie
Verb
Simply lay gravel in a winding walkway through the garden, allowing contrasting garden mulch to melt into the rock for a soft and organic feel. — Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 31 Aug. 2026 Homes and businesses left intact after the flooding were still without electricity on Sunday, as twisted power line poles and wires lay tangled in the mud. — ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Noun
Joining Ben Stiller’s hapless Greg Focker and Robert De Niro’s gruff Jack Byrnes as the next-generation taker of the lie-detector test is the singular Ariana Grande, whose comedy bona fides are of course on full display. — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026 For five seasons, Garner would star on Alias as Sydney Bristow, a secret agent continuously caught up in a series of lies and betrayals. — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lie
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lie
  1. deceive
  2. lead
  3. be
  4. hide
  5. tale
  6. fool
  7. go
  8. sit
Verb
  • Your eyes aren't deceiving you — the little delivery robots rolling down Washington DC streets are becoming a more common sight.
    — Mike Stunson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Jury Duty has managed to deceive two unsuspecting do-gooders with civic duty and a company retreat.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of deceive
Verb
  • The secretary insisted he is focused on leading the War Department.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Qatar, one of the world’s leading producers of LNG, is trying to find some way to keep its export routes open, through diplomacy, finding new customers, and taking rare opportunities to get their product through Hormuz.
    — Katie Silver, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of lead
Verb
  • There was no catching the Redhawks on this night with Hayes playing like a world-beater.
    — Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • While crude oil can be carried via pipeline–perhaps from oil producers in the Persian Gulf to ports on the western side of the Arabian Peninsula–gas can’t, meaning there are no alternative routes to get LNG to Asia if Hormuz is blocked.
    — Katie Silver, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of be
Verb
  • Yes, that’s right, the world’s most famous nude sculpture was once outfitted with a belt of 28 copper leaves to hide its genitalia.
    — Alicja Zelazko, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Avoid walking through tall grass, rocky areas or other places where snakes might hide, such as wildflower or bluebonnet patches.
    — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of hide
Noun
  • Set in 1964 and based on a true story, the film tells the tale of a young journalist who tracks down a potential Nazi officer living secretly in New York and befriends the suspect’s charming wife.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Like James himself, the men are clever and bookish, writing letters or diaries, reading voraciously, and imagining themselves into tales of romance and Biblical comeuppance.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of tale
Verb
  • Sebastian Galeano fools the Lake Mary defense by carrying it himself and scampers 40 yards for the touchdown.
    — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Roughly 700 agents ultimately participated in attacks on Hugging Face as part of a broader effort to fool the scorer for a cybersecurity benchmark.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of fool
Verb
  • Even near the end of an August in which the Jays went 17-11, the team posted a near-average wRC+ (101 entering Sunday).
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • In fact, the breakeven rate of employment growth, or the number of net new jobs needed each month to keep the unemployment rate steady, actually went slightly negative during the summer and fall of 2025.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of go
Verb
  • This pretty hamlet sits right on the Connecticut river in the foothills of the Green Mountains, so expect undulating blankets of colorful foliage in every direction.
    — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The company licensed the intellectual property related to the approach from the National Eye Institute, which sits within the National Institutes of Health.
    — Emma Clapp, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of sit

Phrases Containing lie

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lids
lie
lie back
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Cite this Entry

“Lie.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lie. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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