lying 1 of 4

lying

2 of 4

verb (1)

present participle of lie

lying

3 of 4

verb (2)

present participle of lie
1
as in leading
to be positioned along a certain course or in a certain direction the train tracks lie just over that hill

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
3
as in hiding
to remain out of sight paparazzi were lying in wait outside the restaurant, a well-known celebrity hangout

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

lying

4 of 4

noun

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 lying
Verb
He was found dead lying face up on his hotel bed with no signs of trauma, according to a Monday report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. Kenan Draughorne, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2022
Noun
Channel imaginative ideas or simply enjoy lying low more now. Kyle Thomas, People.com, 13 Apr. 2025 But lying about Social Security isn’t new. Stanley S. Litow, New York Daily News, 13 Apr. 2025 Channel imaginative ideas or simply enjoy lying low more now. Kyle Thomas, People.com, 13 Apr. 2025 But lying about Social Security isn’t new. Stanley S. Litow, New York Daily News, 13 Apr. 2025 Bury me face down so Boeing and their lying a** leaders can kiss my a**. Bill Chappell, NPR, 21 Mar. 2025 Earlier in the episode during the lying game, Selena tried to convince Blanco and Fallon that one time her dog ran away on set and Paul Rudd found it. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 21 Mar. 2025 Bury me face down so Boeing and their lying-a-- leaders can kiss my a--. Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 21 Mar. 2025 Bury me face down so Boeing and their lying a** leaders can kiss my a**. Bill Chappell, NPR, 21 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lying
Adjective
  • Avoid generic, spammy tactics, over-automation or dishonest ploys.
    Samuel Darwin, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
  • The reasons for such concerns start with the shockingly dishonest campaign for Proposition 1A, the 2008 state ballot measure allocating $9.95 billion in bond seed money for a network of bullet trains linking Los Angeles and San Francisco.
    U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • This stylization gives her a veneer of being disarmingly kind; but ultimately, is a form of deception that caused Sophie to fatally trust this person.
    Tiffany Leigh, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
  • Codenamed Operation Midnight Hammer, the overnight mission relied on deception, aerial refueling, and near-total radio silence to hit Iran's Fordo and Natanz enrichment facilities—sites that had withstood weeks of sustained Israeli attacks.
    Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025
Adjective
  • Facing mounting pressure and a Supreme Court order, the Trump administration returned him this month to face the smuggling charges, which Abrego Garcia’s attorneys characterized as an attempt to justify his erroneous deportation.
    Ben Finley, Fortune, 27 June 2025
  • Kavanaugh stressed that the Court needs to remain active in taking cases and issuing stays in order to avoid letting erroneous injunctions remain in place for years on end.
    The Editors, National Review, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • Impulsive, egocentric, and mendacious, Trump has, in the same span, set fire to the integrity of his office.
    David Remnick, New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2025
  • Her unsettling command of the character — who was equal parts sweet, vulnerable, mendacious, and menacing — was one of the highlights of the series.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 24 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The arrival of sophisticated AI might, at first glance, seem like a threat to genuine learning, potentially reducing the need for deep thought or even enabling widespread academic dishonesty.
    Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
  • Eleanor’s dishonesty puts her in more precarious situations, including having to speak to journalism students about ethical storytelling and a local news channel’s interest in airing a segment about her.
    Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2025
Adjective
  • The document discovery in those cases revealed that France had been untruthful during the NFLPA arbitration process.
    Chris Deubert, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
  • During the trial, prosecutors showed videos of the multiple interviews Troconis had with law enforcement and accused her of being untruthful about Farber Dulos’ disappearance.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Hugo would likely have been repelled and fascinated by Trump’s demagoguery, his rambling mendacity, his grammatically illogical but easy-to-follow oratory.
    Graham Robb, The Atlantic, 9 June 2025
  • By promoting dissimulation and sanctifying mendacity, Trump’s tsarist regime works to silence knowledge.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • This was a false charge by the Bush administration, as the United Nations’ inspectors on the ground in Iraq tried to communicate to Bush, and as his intelligence agencies tried to tell him.
    Tom Zirpoli, Baltimore Sun, 24 June 2025
  • But an investigation resulted in an astonishing call from the other side of the world, which revealed that ‘The GPO Girl’ was, in fact, a 25-year-old Australian, who has created more than 100 false identities.
    Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 June 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lying. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on lying

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!