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
It has been defined in slightly different ways over the years, but some of the traits commonly associated with psychopathy include pathological lying, extreme narcissism, shallow affect, impulsivity and lack of empathy and remorse. — David Dematteo, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026 Blatant, in-your-face lying, cheating and stealing is the norm. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026 Meanwhile, Melanie’s sister, Steph, begged Melanie to leave Sincere because of his compulsive lying and shady behavior. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 1 Sep. 2026 Trending Stories Inevitably, the lying started to catch up with her. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2026 The latest indictment, which the district attorney said was returned July 20, adds the lying in wait circumstance to the previous murder charges. — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026 Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez then accused Rubio of lying and said that Cuba had no knowledge of the offer. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 21 July 2026 Those gathering for the lying in state and funeral will contrast with huge nationwide protests in January that were met by a deadly crackdown by security forces that left thousands dead and sent shock waves around the world. — Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 3 July 2026 Stop the madness, stop the lying, and just be free. — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 19 June 2026
Verb
Watford said the woman was lying motionless on the floor for about 10 minutes before a housekeeper knocked on the door, the complaint says. — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 10 Nov. 2026 Safforld was given new trials and later freed under a plea deal in 2010, months before Burge was convicted of lying about torture of suspects. — Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 10 Nov. 2026 Espina-Espinal was lying beside him, dead from a gunshot wound, police sources said. — Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 10 Nov. 2026 The housekeeper allegedly noticed blood on Watford's hands and clothing and saw the woman lying face down and motionless on the floor. — Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2026 However, the housekeeper reportedly saw blood on Watford's hands and pants, along with a woman lying motionless and face-down on the floor. — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 9 Nov. 2026 And given that the tank was situated in a live-fire area with munitions potentially lying just below the surface, that would have been an especially bad idea. — Stephen Edelstein, The Drive, 7 Nov. 2026 Mary is lying on the cloth and turning to cradle Jesus, who is lying next to her. — Artforum, 4 Nov. 2026 The aircraft crashed to the ground in a private farm field near McMinnville Municipal Airport, officials said, with a red helicopter left crumpled in pieces and a green helicopter lying upside down. — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lying
Adjective
  • The debate also took on an edgy, deeply personal tone, as the candidates repeatedly accused each other of being dishonest or misleading.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The other coach is dishonest and decides to strategically rank their players in a different order.
    — Dana Mackenzie, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • But the quarterback sneak has never worked well because of its deception.
    — Sam McDowell November 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The resulting models displayed resistance to monitoring, deception, and attempts at self-preservation.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The first rule of thumb—and a solid piece of advice to live by—is that looks can be deceiving.
    — Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 1 Nov. 2026
  • But looks are deceiving in this case – just like the 3X Plus and 3X before it, the trailer stretches out via three individual telescopic segments that emerge at the push of a button.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Reaves embodied Doncic in almost every way Sunday, leading the Lakers to a 121-116 win over the Detroit Pistons as Doncic sat out with low back tightness.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2026
  • At least two new incoming Democratic senators expressed some reservations Sunday about Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who's expected to be reelected to his post after leading his party back to the majority.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • That could test a board that is short on corporate heavy-hitters — there’s not one sitting CEO on the board other than Huang — or people with deep experience of national security or political crisis management.
    — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 9 Nov. 2026
  • Travis Kelce’s mom, Donna, also appeared to be sitting behind them, among other onlookers wearing Chiefs apparel.
    — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 8 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • President Barack Obama had gathered his advisors to assess intelligence that indicated Osama Bin Laden was hiding in a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
    — Keren Yarhi-Milo, Time, 8 Nov. 2026
  • San Diego professes pride in high graduation rates, but this is a chimera hiding the sad truth of how far our educational leaders will go to look good.
    — U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
Adjective
  • Early voting trends and stories about how long the lines are in reliably red or blue districts are tempting to use as data points — but are notoriously misleading.
    — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The claim featured in the ad was rated misleading, as a series of court records undercut the claim that Hamilton attempted to protect the child abuser.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 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 11 Nov. 2026.

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