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

Still, the elephant in the room remains the People’s Party’s attitude toward Thailand’s sacrosanct monarchy, since reform of Article 112 lay behind Move Forward’s dissolution. —Charlie Campbell, Time, 15 Sep. 2025

The notable pedigree also lies behind the camera. —Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025

Everyone has a slightly different definition of dark academia, but Possession left me with a strong attachment to stories where making sense of writing from the past, and uncovering what lies behind it, are central to the story. —Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025

The evidence of this event could appear in radiation coming from bright sources lying behind the clusters. —Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 16 Aug. 2025

Rhymes for lie behind

• countersigned
• disinclined
• humankind
• interlined
• intertwined
• mastermind
• misaligned
• nonaligned
• predefined
• realigned
• reassigned
• recombined

Video

Lay vs. Lie

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.