white lie

noun

: a lie about a small or unimportant matter that someone tells to avoid hurting another person
He told a (little) white lie as his excuse for missing the party.

Examples of white lie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Every slit throat and breathless headline whispers the same thing into a thousand different ears: Everything you were told about the world as a kid was a little white lie. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 8 July 2024 Hitmaka has admitted that a little white lie while visiting The Breakfast Club led him to a $500,000-a-year position at a major label. Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 20 June 2024 Taking a page out of The Scarlet Letter, the story follows Olive as her personal life derails thanks to one little white lie about losing her virginity. Shania Russell, EW.com, 10 Mar. 2024 So my plan on the way out was just to tell a little white lie and also spill a little tea. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 6 Oct. 2023 Turns out, in nine-time Oscar nominee Cooper’s case, that little white lie seems to have paid off. Dan Heching, CNN, 30 June 2023 In the end, Love Again hinges on a deception of vintage rom-com proportions, less little white lie than giant red flag. A.a. Dowd, Chron, 5 May 2023 This may be a little white lie; however, it’s made to appease your boss and HR, and help keep the peace. Jack Kelly, Forbes, 19 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'white lie.' 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 white lie

Cite this Entry

“White lie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white%20lie. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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