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
Disappointed by many developing countries’ refusal to take serious steps to penalize Russia for its aggression in Ukraine, U.S. and European officials have started to pay new lip service to concerns of this group of states.
—
Comfort Ero, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2024
Of course, the challenge here is finding interventions that actually work, rather than just offering platforms a way to pay lip service.
—Jessica Schleider, STAT, 1 Apr. 2024
There will be the occasional pop of Loewe, but Markle will still pay lip service to all-American brands—Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Tory Burch—to stay in line with her new company ethos.
—Alice Newbold, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2024
Either way, their lack of lip service could be damaging their career prospects.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 21 Mar. 2024
Talk of values in such firms is often no more than lip service.
—Steve Denning, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024
France, paying lip service to ideals of fraternal alliance, will perpetuate its political and economic exploitation.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
Instead, TikTok paid lip service to transparency by embarking on Project Texas, an unpersuasive project meant to assuage fears about Chinese spying by moving TikTok’s U.S. user data to data servers owned by the American company Oracle.
—Kevin Roose, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Google leaders have often paid lip service to the importance of including people with diverse experiences in research and development, but Hall has found the reality lacking.
—Paresh Dave, WIRED, 7 Mar. 2024
Comfort Ero, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2024
Of course, the challenge here is finding interventions that actually work, rather than just offering platforms a way to pay lip service.
—Jessica Schleider, STAT, 1 Apr. 2024
There will be the occasional pop of Loewe, but Markle will still pay lip service to all-American brands—Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Tory Burch—to stay in line with her new company ethos.
—Alice Newbold, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2024
Either way, their lack of lip service could be damaging their career prospects.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 21 Mar. 2024
Talk of values in such firms is often no more than lip service.
—Steve Denning, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024
France, paying lip service to ideals of fraternal alliance, will perpetuate its political and economic exploitation.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
Instead, TikTok paid lip service to transparency by embarking on Project Texas, an unpersuasive project meant to assuage fears about Chinese spying by moving TikTok’s U.S. user data to data servers owned by the American company Oracle.
—Kevin Roose, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Google leaders have often paid lip service to the importance of including people with diverse experiences in research and development, but Hall has found the reality lacking.
—Paresh Dave, WIRED, 7 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lip service.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near lip service
Cite this Entry
“Lip service.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lip%20service. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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