lip service

noun

: an avowal of advocacy, adherence, or allegiance expressed in words but not backed by deeds

—usually used with pay

Examples of lip service in a Sentence

She paid lip service to blue-collar workers, but she did nothing to help them.

So far all we've gotten from him is lip service.

Recent Examples on the Web

Despite the administration’s lip service toward government efficiency, the policy change is threatening to be an administrative nightmare. —Neale Mahoney, Time, 28 Aug. 2025

There is a greater good here that the people who make these decisions pay lip service to, but regularly ignore. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2025

This Women’s Equality Day let’s stop paying lip service to women’s equality and persevere together toward liberty and justice for all. —Laurie Gray, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2025

Skeptics warn that Putin is playing for time, for the opportunity to keep hammering Ukraine on the battlefield while giving lip service to seeking peace. —Susan Page, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lip service

• disservice
• preservice
• interservice
• nervous
• nervus