lie behind

phrasal verb

lay behind; lain behind; lying behind; lies behind

: to be the cause of (something)

Greed lies behind the higher prices.

Examples of lie behind in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Similar to other great British poets of the club like Soft Cell's Marc Almond and Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys who mined the elegiac sadness lurking around the edges of nightlife, Charli expertly captures the vulnerability and fallibility that lies behind the party girl persona. —

Hazlitt, 17 July 2024 Backyard breeding, where people breed dogs without the experience or knowledge to do so safely and responsibly, often lies behind such sad tales. —

Nadia Scharf, The Indianapolis Star, 9 July 2024 Marras’ talent for scenography is no secret to those who have attended his fashion shows, where the runway is always the stage for his theatrical presentations and personal tales always lie behind his carefully detailed collections and his fanciful and imaginative sets. —

Luisa Zargani, WWD, 5 July 2024 Hockney, also naked, lies behind him reading the paper. —

George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 28 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for lie behind

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lie behind.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.