lie with

verb

lay with; lain with; lying with; lies with

1

—used to say who has the blame or responsibility for something

Responsibility for the accident lies with the company.

2

literary : to have sex with (someone)

when he first lay with her

Examples of lie with in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Explosive running back room The strength of the Knights’ offense lies with their rushing attack led by Louisville transfer Duke Watson. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2026

Neutron stars and white dwarfs are both born when stars run out of the fuel supplies needed for nuclear fusion happening in their cores, but the difference between the two lies with their masses. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2026

But his actions here — deflecting accountability, being vague yet defensive about his own politics — and his history with Kraft suggest his sympathies might not lie with the causes his opening acts stand for. — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

The key to the owners’ proposal is that MLB would control all of the local media rights, as opposed to the current system where that control lies with the individual clubs. — Jim Bowden, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Video

Lay vs. Lie

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.