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
Adjective
When accusations of lying are going both ways, who gets to control the truth? The New Yorker, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025 But lying becomes second nature. Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2025 At the same time, lying seems to be a particularly tough problem for AI companies to completely solve, at least in the short term. PC Magazine, 29 Aug. 2025 The real truth is that lying is not eviscerated. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025 And so the idea of the lying, cheating male, who will do anything to further his fitness, is not remote or fantasy. Quanta Magazine, 21 Aug. 2025 The neurosis and the strategic thinking, manipulation, lying, and hedging — all that stuff is 1,000 percent accurate. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2025 Republicans held firm to the idea that lying is wrong and the president should be held accountable for his decisions, regardless of other circumstances. Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 4 Aug. 2025 But its Oz is an Orwellian land, with leaders rewriting history on the fly through baldfaced lying. Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 1 Aug. 2025
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
The truth is, anybody that tells you they 100% know what this offense will look like without Tyreek Hill is lying. Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025 The defense opposed the request and accused the woman of lying about being a victim. Kara Scannell, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025 Prosecutors say tensions escalated because of Sweeney’s behavioral problems, including lying and breaking house rules. Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025 Sheriff Adam King, who was in August charged with abuse of office and witness retaliation, is accused of lying under oath while testifying before the grand jury in those cases, according to the indictment. Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Oct. 2025 Not to mention, oversized boxes take up a ton of space even when lying flat. Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Oct. 2025 Javice was convicted of fraud in March for lying about her financial aid startup, and prosecutors had requested a 12-year sentence. Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2025 But Microsoft isn’t lying about the use. Jim Cramer, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2025 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, 27 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lying
Adjective
  • No wonder de Lesseps became a national pariah whose name was synonymous with dishonest incompetence.
    U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2025
  • These are cheap, dishonest shots against a great intellect, acknowledged by friends and opponents alike.
    James Gaylord, Oc Register, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The unscripted show will feature a group of contestants who undergo physical and mental challenges, collecting clues before they are launched into a real-life game of detective work and deception.
    Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The series will feature a group of contestants facing physical and mental challenges to collect clues before stepping into a real-life game of deduction and deception.
    Peter White, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Despite these accounts, Day offered a very different picture in an opinion piece published by The Oregonian on Sunday, arguing that national media coverage of Portland and its police paint a misleading and outdated picture.
    Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2025
  • The apparent protective effect of dopamine agonist drugs could also be misleading.
    Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • Engineers outfitted the device with a heater to melt ice in the winter, a customization that should improve accuracy during Arizona’s freeze-thaw cycles that have long created erroneous measurements.
    Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Vedra and other debt law experts said a high rate of default judgments indicates a system that favors the pursuers over the pursued — and increases the chances someone will be harmed by an erroneous bill.
    Rae Ellen Bichell, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • People make close, intense bonds when stuck in the Big Brother house together, and Vince and Morgan’s dynamic crosses more lines with each passing day, emotional cheating threatening to tip into physical even as Vince continues to hopelessly cloak his feelings in flimsy analogies and code phrases.
    Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2025
  • Emotional cheating occurs when someone develops a strong connection with someone other than their committed partner, leading to them sharing intimate thoughts, feelings and experiences, Sara Kuburic, a psychotherapist, previously wrote in USA TODAY.
    Melina Khan, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • At Comedy Central, Colbert rose to prominence playing a slightly exaggerated version of Bill O’Reilly and other unapologetically mendacious Fox News pundits from the George W. Bush years.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2025
  • The true story reveals both how freedom of speech first came to be conceived of as a mechanism for truth, an antidote to falsehood, and the foundation of all liberty—and that, ironically, this new and powerful theory was itself a deliberately mendacious fiction.
    Fara Dabhoiwala, Harpers Magazine, 4 June 2025
Noun
  • Fear of uncomfortable conversations creates cultures of dishonesty, making innovation impossible.
    Curt Steinhorst, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Smee’s traumatized both by Arthur’s sudden death and Slightly’s dishonesty.
    Noel Murray, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lying. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

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