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

Internally at studios and agencies, there’s confusion — and frustration — around the opt-out mechanism, according to people familiar with the matter, all of whom noted there’s no formal system for doing so and characterized Altman’s walk back as lip service. —Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025

Harlem’s Fashion Row is doing revolutionary work within an industry that often has little to no regard for Black designers beyond lip service. —Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 12 Sep. 2025

The Smashing Machine particularly fails Dawn, whose frustrations get quite a bit of lip service but little depiction. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2025

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

Word History

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lip service

• disservice
• preservice
• interservice
• nervous
• nervus