lie with
phrasal 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
However, those primarily deal with civil rights, and the responsibility for administering elections still lies with the states.
—
Michael Abeyta, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
For Glenn, the imperfection lay with her identity.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Instead, under that framing, the fault lay with the governor of Minnesota and the mayor of Minneapolis for not ridding their streets of immigrants without legal status to remain in the United States.
—John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 1 Feb. 2026
Others rejected the rebranding argument, suggesting the issue lies with the broader struggles of American indie film.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lie with
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Michael Abeyta, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
For Glenn, the imperfection lay with her identity.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Instead, under that framing, the fault lay with the governor of Minnesota and the mayor of Minneapolis for not ridding their streets of immigrants without legal status to remain in the United States.
—John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 1 Feb. 2026
Others rejected the rebranding argument, suggesting the issue lies with the broader struggles of American indie film.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lie with
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lie with.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lie%20with. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
