big lie

noun

variants: or Big Lie

Definition of big lie

: a deliberate gross distortion of the truth used especially as a propaganda tactic

Examples of big lie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

What if the big lie about the Good Place got found out? — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "The 6 Craziest ‘The Good Place’ Fan Theories on Reddit," 16 May 2019 If that's not the big lie, if that's not propaganda, than what the hell is? (END VIDEO CLIP) HANNITY: That's for lies, its propaganda, misinformation and fake news. — Fox News, "Giuliani: Mueller's investigation is obviously illegitimate," 9 Aug. 2018 The big lie is our failure to ask how that came to pass. — Sean Illing, Vox, "The biggest lie we still teach in American history classes," 1 Aug. 2018 But the biggest lie that I—and everyone else—have been told as children and spent the rest of our lives believing? — Chloe Metzger, Marie Claire, "Ginger Ale Isn't Good for Upset Stomachs," 9 Oct. 2018 In the high desert west of Boise, a unique golf resort emerges with 'a story to tell' Your longest drive ... or biggest lie: The 18th tee on the Hankins course tells golfers that they've been set up to hit the longest drive of their lives. — Chadd Cripe, idahostatesman, "Goat caddies, a license to cheat and trash-talking rakes. It's all about fun at Silvies.," 11 June 2018 Turns out Betsy Ross is the biggest lie your kindergarten teacher ever told you (except that Bubbles the class gerbil was moving to a farm upstate). — Josh Axelrod And Saeed Ahmed, CNN, "It's Flag Day. Here are some fun facts about the American flag you may not have known," 14 June 2018 Telling the truth about a sham election may help puncture a big lie that keeps Maduro in power. — The Christian Science Monitor, "The power of truth-telling about Venezuela," 8 June 2018 The idea that this was a peaceful protest is the biggest lie of all, because the basic tenets required for a protest in a democracy like the U.S. or Israel do not exist in Gaza. — Ronen Manelis, WSJ, "The Truth About Hamas and Israel," 20 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'big lie.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

28 May 2019

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The first known use of big lie was in 1939

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