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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
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
The commission recommends the city give regular payment in lieu of taxes to the jurisdictions contributing to the tax districts.
—Riley Bunch, AJC.com, 1 Apr. 2026
He was held in lieu of $1 million bond pending an arraignment hearing in Hartford Superior Court.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 1 Apr. 2026
Developers seeking incentives from Port KC have still either created affordable housing, or made payments to the Housing Trust Fund in lieu of the affordable housing, but not necessarily at the same high levels currently required by the city.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
While fans would have surely loved to get any of these songs over the past five years in lieu of the chaos of 2020s-era Ye, there’s still an emptiness at the heart of Bully.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lieu
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Riley Bunch, AJC.com, 1 Apr. 2026
He was held in lieu of $1 million bond pending an arraignment hearing in Hartford Superior Court.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 1 Apr. 2026
Developers seeking incentives from Port KC have still either created affordable housing, or made payments to the Housing Trust Fund in lieu of the affordable housing, but not necessarily at the same high levels currently required by the city.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
While fans would have surely loved to get any of these songs over the past five years in lieu of the chaos of 2020s-era Ye, there’s still an emptiness at the heart of Bully.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lieu
Cite this Entry
“Lieu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lieu. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lieu
noun
archaic
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