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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
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
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
In lieu thereof, there will be a kick-off event for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
In lieu of a caption, Warren simply tagged Drake’s username.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 15 July 2025
In lieu of flowers, the Constantine family requests that donations in his memory to help fund the brain cancer research conducted by his neurosurgeons at Stanford (link here) or UCLA (link here) .
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 14 July 2025
Seti follows the basics of Sharia law, but only loosely, circulating freely around Tehran unaccompanied and covering her hair with a stylish knitted hat in lieu of the hijab.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for lieu
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Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
In lieu of a caption, Warren simply tagged Drake’s username.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 15 July 2025
In lieu of flowers, the Constantine family requests that donations in his memory to help fund the brain cancer research conducted by his neurosurgeons at Stanford (link here) or UCLA (link here) .
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 14 July 2025
Seti follows the basics of Sharia law, but only loosely, circulating freely around Tehran unaccompanied and covering her hair with a stylish knitted hat in lieu of the hijab.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for lieu
Cite this Entry
“Lieu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lieu. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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lieu
noun
archaic
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