lieu

noun

ˈlü 

archaic

: place, stead

see also:

in lieu in lieu of

Did you know?

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

Recent Examples on the Web

She has been booked on suspicion of felony battery with great bodily injury and is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026

In lieu of photography, the book is charmingly filled with illustrations of produce by the two authors; Evans created the line drawings, and Brennan is a watercolorist. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 26 June 2026

Young Americans is one of several active pilots at Hulu, which has reverted to a more traditional pilot model in lieu of straight-to-series orders that were dominant at the height of the streaming wars. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 26 June 2026

In lieu of Pearl Jam, Wilco and other ‘90s rock standards, a pounding electronic score by Christian Lundberg of Hans Zimmer’s Bleeding Fingers collective provides the music. — Alison Herman, Variety, 25 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English liue, from Anglo-French liu, lieu, from Latin locus — more at stall

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing lieu

• in lieu
• in lieu of

Rhymes for lieu

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou

Kids Definition

lieu

noun

ˈlü 

archaic

: place entry 1 sense 7b, stead