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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
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
Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
In lieu of taxes, the tribe has agreed to pay the city a $60,000 annual fee if the project is approved.
—Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Jackson, who lists no prior local criminal history, has remained in custody in lieu of a $200,000 bond since his arrest and pleaded innocent to all the charges Tuesday in Garland County Circuit Court.
—Steven Mross, arkansasonline.com, 7 Apr. 2024
In lieu of a traditional cake, a dessert bar offered an array of cookies and milk, cheesecake bites, white chocolate raspberry tartlets and Nutella bread pudding bites.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
The 47-year-old man has been released on bail and the 49-year-old remains in jail in lieu of $210,000 bail, court records show.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
Supporters of the bill, including health care and law enforcement groups, counter that people with mental health conditions or autism who are charged with assault in an ER may be eligible for existing programs that provide mental health treatment in lieu of a criminal sentence.
—Sejal Parekh, Sacramento Bee, 1 Apr. 2024
Walker had remained in custody in lieu of more than $400,000 bail following her arrest Wednesday, but the prosecutor — citing Walker’s lack of criminal history and her ties to the community — agreed with a request to lower her bail to $150,000.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2024
Leave your lip balm, foot ointments, and chafing creams at home in lieu of this convenient, effective product.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lieu.' 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 lieu
Cite this Entry
“Lieu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lieu. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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lieu
noun
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