as in dishonest
telling or containing lies
that lying son of a gun told me that the used car had never been in an accident
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in deception
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in deceiving
to make a statement one knows to be untrue
would I lie to you about that?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in sitting
to occupy a place or location
I left the book lying on the counter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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Recent Examples of lying
Kenan Draughorne, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2022
Jodi Guglielmi, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2026
Aristotle said that lying is an unjust act.
—Katherine Moses, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
To understand whether coffin-lying can actually boost calmness and relieve stress, Outside spoke to two therapists.
—Julia Ries Wexler, Outside, 12 Mar. 2026
The woman in this case gave a victim impact statement Thursday, saying that Donaldson has patterns of manipulation, violence and lying.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
The roles of bluffing and secrecy in our interactions with others (or, how lying can help—and hurt—us).
—Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
OpenAI has also shared examples of its models cheating and lying and, in an experiment showcased on the second floor of its San Francisco headquarters, appearing to converse in a totally indecipherable language.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
Crawford said the lying in wait allegations could not be proved because his client was just standing by a gate when the attack happened.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 25 Jan. 2026
The selfish tyrant attaches himself only to those others who share his selfishness, who are eager to wear the mask of perpetual lying.
—David Brooks, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026
Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
Subsequent House Speaker Tom Finneran pleaded guilty to lying under oath in 2007 and left the Legislature.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
For example, lying isn’t merely uttering a falsehood.
—Robert B. Talisse, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2026
The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect.
—Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
The defendant accused the nine victims in the case, the witnesses and the Dutch police of lying.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Mascherano opted to play without a natural striker at the end of last season and utilize Messi as a deep-lying forward (false nine) who could also create, flanked by young, speedy, energetic Mateo Silvetti and Tadeo Allende.
—Michelle Kaufman
april 7, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
Phaedra jumps into slippery-attorney mode, alleging that security video and audio from the game prove Angela is lying.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2026
Two Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were placed on leave for lying under oath about the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
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
Paul frequently accuses Mortenson of cheating and lying, which he’s openly admitted to — after he gets caught.
—Jodi Guglielmi, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2026
Aristotle said that lying is an unjust act.
—Katherine Moses, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
To understand whether coffin-lying can actually boost calmness and relieve stress, Outside spoke to two therapists.
—Julia Ries Wexler, Outside, 12 Mar. 2026
The woman in this case gave a victim impact statement Thursday, saying that Donaldson has patterns of manipulation, violence and lying.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
The roles of bluffing and secrecy in our interactions with others (or, how lying can help—and hurt—us).
—Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
OpenAI has also shared examples of its models cheating and lying and, in an experiment showcased on the second floor of its San Francisco headquarters, appearing to converse in a totally indecipherable language.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
Crawford said the lying in wait allegations could not be proved because his client was just standing by a gate when the attack happened.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 25 Jan. 2026
The selfish tyrant attaches himself only to those others who share his selfishness, who are eager to wear the mask of perpetual lying.
—David Brooks, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026
Verb
Zach is hunched over a bowl of fruit-adjacent cereal studying a Calvin and Hobbes book lying open on the counter.
—Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
Subsequent House Speaker Tom Finneran pleaded guilty to lying under oath in 2007 and left the Legislature.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
For example, lying isn’t merely uttering a falsehood.
—Robert B. Talisse, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2026
The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect.
—Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
The defendant accused the nine victims in the case, the witnesses and the Dutch police of lying.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Mascherano opted to play without a natural striker at the end of last season and utilize Messi as a deep-lying forward (false nine) who could also create, flanked by young, speedy, energetic Mateo Silvetti and Tadeo Allende.
—Michelle Kaufman
april 7, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
Phaedra jumps into slippery-attorney mode, alleging that security video and audio from the game prove Angela is lying.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 6 Apr. 2026
Two Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were placed on leave for lying under oath about the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lying
Adjective
-
The election Sunday takes place during a surge in violent crime and corruption, fueling widespread discontent among voters, who largely view candidates as dishonest and unprepared for the presidency.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Vann’s lawyer said during trial the witnesses were dishonest.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
At the same time, the CIA mounted a deception operation to mislead Iranians who also were trying to find him.—
Jonathan J. Cooper,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
As an investigation unfolds, one small lie grows into a web of deception that begins to affect her work, her family, and her sense of self.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Such allegations are widespread but misleading.—
William Proctor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Hartsuch, a proponent of using ivermectin to treat COVID-19, alleges that in December 2021, Kent Nebel, then the executive director of the Board of Medicine, indicated that 17 Iowa doctors had complaints filed against them for spreading false or misleading information about COVID-19.—
Clark Kauffman,
Iowa Capital Dispatch,
11 Apr. 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
Adjective
-
When the news breaks of faraway civilian casualties — an erroneous air strike on a school that relied on outdated intelligence, for example — the mind takes refuge in abstractions and statistics.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
-
But those who in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries made erroneous predictions of imminent mass starvation erred by underestimating the world‑changing potential of grasses.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Time and again, the panel of experts invited to provide testimony said voter fraud is exceedingly rare and that there is no evidence of widespread cheating.—
Linh Tat,
Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Though outright cheating does not go unpunished, contestants are often rewarded for finding loopholes in the rules and exploiting them.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The 2026 State of the Union speech stands in contrast, a speech by a mendacious demagogue who has degraded his listeners by debauching their instincts.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Supporters of recent state AI regulations said the measures will address potential threats to public safety and personal privacy, and to counter any mendacious actions created by AI, while not hindering innovation.—
Hope Moses,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Another 24% of participants cited poor leadership, dishonesty and personal dislikes as their reason for disapproving.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Her cross-examination — with its rapid-fire accusations, caustic tone and presumption of dishonesty — had felt eerily familiar after years of verbal abuse.—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lying. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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