as in to deceive
to make a statement one knows to be untrue
would I lie to you about that?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in tale
a statement known by its maker to be untrue and made in order to deceive
he wanted to deny the accusation, but he couldn't tell a lie
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of lie
Charles Pellegrino, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2025
After throwing Ortega’s character out of a window, the Part 1 finale ends on a cliffhanger, with a bloody Wednesday lying on the ground and Tyler escaping Willow Hill.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
Charles Pellegrino, Deadline, 31 July 2025
Anyone who believes the American entrance into WWII was easy and inevitable will be shocked to hear that the path was difficult and paved with spies, lies, and coercion.
—Audiofile Magazine
july 31, Literary Hub, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for lie
Verb
Nearly forty miles south along the silent hills lay the city of Nagasaki.
—Charles Pellegrino, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2025
After throwing Ortega’s character out of a window, the Part 1 finale ends on a cliffhanger, with a bloody Wednesday lying on the ground and Tyler escaping Willow Hill.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
Noun
Infested with the camp’s fleas and lice, hungry and surrounded by lies, Mizuha made a prison break.
—Charles Pellegrino, Deadline, 31 July 2025
Anyone who believes the American entrance into WWII was easy and inevitable will be shocked to hear that the path was difficult and paved with spies, lies, and coercion.
—Audiofile Magazine
july 31, Literary Hub, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for lie
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lie
Noun
-
With all due respect to the pressures of making an unconventional sci-fi film on a tight budget, using ecologically destructive technology for a story of ecological devastation, in which clean water is an increasingly rare resource, adds an unintentionally grim layer of irony to the tale.—
Josh Slater-Williams,
IndieWire,
11 Aug. 2025
-
The two met in secret, and some versions of the story suggest their love lives on only in death, much like the Western tale of Romeo and Juliet.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Share stories of lateral moves in company updates—not as policy footnotes but as real growth journeys.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
At the event in Wheeling, Pritzker also took on Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been often accused of peddling falsehoods about immunizations.—
Jeremy Gorner,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Aug. 2025
-
Unfortunately, animal rights extremists — who think having a horse give a carriage ride in a park is akin to slavery — repeatedly spew falsehoods.—
Christina Hansen,
New York Daily News,
9 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Many have compared Gladys to a classic fairy tale antagonist, a villain whose undefined age and unambiguously evil motivations thrust a town into chaos.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
12 Aug. 2025
-
By the time Gladys shows up in full, the movie becomes a fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm sort.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
9 Aug. 2025
Video
Lay vs. Lie
Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.
Cite this Entry
“Lie.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lie. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share