lying 1 of 4

Definition of lyingnext

lying

2 of 4

noun

lying

3 of 4

verb (1)

present participle of lie

lying

4 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

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
Adjective
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
What better time than the summer of the nation’s 250th anniversary of independence to reflect on how Trump’s years of lying have corroded the citizenry’s essential belief in the integrity of elections? Jackie Calmes, Mercury News, 19 June 2026 Stop the madness, stop the lying, and just be free. Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 19 June 2026 In the finale of Season 2, the women have gotten past the lying and scheming and are in a new and more honest place. Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 10 June 2026 Just needed his seat in Congress despite his lying and cheating, kind of like the guy sitting in the White House. Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 8 June 2026 To me that’s not a rewrite job — that’s just plain lying. Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026 Kandynn was convicted of first-degree murder, with a lying in wait special circumstance, according to the DA's office. Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026 His lying has finally caught up with him. Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 17 May 2026 Huang throws the first group dinner of the series and, when confronted with both the rumors and the lying, quits on the spot. Brian Moylan, Vulture, 1 May 2026
Verb
Officers found McFarland lying dead in the parking lot. Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026 Pompeii, lying 14 miles southeast of Naples and part of the Roman Empire when it was destroyed, has fascinated history buffs ever since it was excavated in the 18th century. Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 24 June 2026 However, Parker was lying and was not the beneficiary of a massive fortune. Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026 Prosecutors charged King with perjury in October 2025 when he was accused of lying during grand jury testimony; however, those charges were thrown out in December before being refiled in March. Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 June 2026 The video shows the motionless suspect in a gray hoodie lying facedown on a chair or sofa while still clutching the knife. Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 23 June 2026 Months later, in October, King was indicted for perjury, for allegedly lying under oath in grand jury testimony. Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 23 June 2026 Locally heavy rain will quickly reduce visibility and result in ponding of water on roadways, standing water in low lying areas, and minor flooding of creeks, streams, and areas of poor drainage. Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 22 June 2026 Meloni lashed back and accused him of lying. Anthony Faiola, Washington Post, 19 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lying
Adjective
  • An honest summary would still pass the buck to the voters on a grossly dishonest scheme, but at least the voters might recognize a description that doesn’t cajole, coax and mislead them.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 20 June 2026
  • What is obvious is that the only thing as dishonest as FIFA’s insistence that the breaks are only because of its concerns about players’ health is FIFA’s claiming that the stoppages don’t impact matches.
    Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 19 June 2026
Noun
  • So, that's a kind of deception.
    Dana Taylor, USA Today, 23 June 2026
  • The county argues the grand jury fundamentally misunderstood what happened before the explosion, saying its investigation relied on speculation instead of evidence and wrongly blamed county officials for a criminal enterprise prosecutors say was built on years of deception.
    Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 23 June 2026
Verb
  • The thing is, a lot of people have a talent for deceiving the public.
    Juan J. Arroyo, Rolling Stone, 21 June 2026
  • Park and weather officials alike emphasize to Grand Canyon visitors that hiking conditions can be deceiving.
    ABC News, ABC News, 20 June 2026
Verb
  • Today’s leading life sciences players are massive companies.
    Rob Toews, Forbes.com, 22 June 2026
  • Schwarber launched a second-deck blast, a three-run homer off of Mets starter David Peterson in the second inning, for his Major League-leading 29th home run.
    CBS News, CBS News, 22 June 2026
Verb
  • Australia began their campaign with a superb 2-0 win over Türkiye, sitting deep and springing on the counter to devastating effect to give themselves a great chance of reaching the knockout stages.
    Andrew Greif, NBC news, 20 June 2026
  • The last Royal visit It is believed that Saturday’s royal visit will be the first time in 100 years that a sitting monarch has stopped in Kansas City.
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 19 June 2026
Verb
  • Police officers responding to Leslie Martin’s call and separate reports of a break-in found Doug Martin hiding in a neighbor’s home.
    HANNAH FINGERHUT, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026
  • The film is a modern take on the creature horror film told from the perspective of a young boy who slowly begins to discover that his beloved parents are hiding a disturbing secret about his mother’s true nature.
    Justin Kroll, Deadline, 25 June 2026
Adjective
  • This headline is so misleading.
    U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 2026
  • Pretending that’s not going to happen is misleading and wrong.
    Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
Noun
  • This week, in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Pam Bondi gave a master class in obfuscation, prevarication, and pettiness.
    John Ficarra, Air Mail, 11 Oct. 2025
  • There was no picture, there was no drawing, there has been so many lies, so much prevarication, so much cover up.
    John Parkinson, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lying. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.

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