lieu

noun

ˈlü 

archaic

: place, stead

Phrases

in lieu

: instead

… some of the units are made available at affordable prices, or the developers pay a fee in lieu that supports a … housing fund.

—Chloe Hilles

in lieu of

: in the place of : instead of

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society.

Did you know?

Lieu vs. Loo vs. Lue

Due to its unusual Francophonic spelling, many people misspell lieu (which appears most often in the phrase in lieu of) as loo or lue. We even have evidence for people assuming the phrase is inlu of. It is, in fact, in lieu of. Lieu as a standalone noun means “place” and it’s now archaic. You can remember the spelling of lieu by using the mnemonic “lieu in everyday use.”

Examples of lieu in a Sentence

I have decided that in lieu of a going-away shower, those who wish to go in on a nice gift for her can see me after church. —Garrison Keillor, Leaving Home, 1989

Many of those pigs live here. Do they ever wonder why their masters walk upright in lieu of going on all-fours? —Charles Dickens, American Notes for General Circulation, 1842

But when she read, and re-read with the closest attention, the particulars immediately following of Wickham's resigning all pretensions to the living, of his receiving, in lieu, so considerable a sum as three thousand pounds, again was she forced to hesitate. —Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, 1813

Recent Examples on the Web

She is being held in lieu of $30,000 bail. —Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 28 Nov. 2025

He was initially being held in lieu of $190,000 bail. —Harry Harris, Mercury News, 28 Nov. 2025

Thompson is being held in Orange County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail. —Claire Wang, Oc Register, 27 Nov. 2025

Hinkle was arraigned by Gallagher and remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility in lieu of 10% of $2 million bail, per the release. —Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English liue, from Anglo-French liu, lieu, from Latin locus — more at stall

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lieu

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou

Kids Definition

lieu

noun

ˈlü 

archaic

: place entry 1 sense 7b, stead