lieu

noun

ˈlü 

archaic

: place, stead

Phrases

in lieu

: instead

in lieu of

: in the place of : instead of

Did you know?

Lieu vs. Loo vs. Lue

Due to its unusual Francophonic spelling, many people misspell lieu (which appears most often in the phrase in lieu of) as loo or lue. We even have evidence for people assuming the phrase is inlu of. It is, in fact, in lieu of. Lieu as a standalone noun means “place” and it’s now archaic. You can remember the spelling of lieu by using the mnemonic “lieu in everyday use.”

Examples of lieu in a Sentence

I have decided that in lieu of a going-away shower, those who wish to go in on a nice gift for her can see me after church. —Garrison Keillor, Leaving Home, 1989

Many of those pigs live here. Do they ever wonder why their masters walk upright in lieu of going on all-fours? —Charles Dickens, American Notes for General Circulation, 1842

But when she read, and re-read with the closest attention, the particulars immediately following of Wickham's resigning all pretensions to the living, of his receiving, in lieu, so considerable a sum as three thousand pounds, again was she forced to hesitate. —Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, 1813

Recent Examples on the Web

The family requested that in lieu of flowers, donations could be made to War Child, which is an organization that DePrince was involved with as a War Child Ambassador. —CBS News, 14 Sep. 2024

In lieu of names, cocktails are christened with numbers. —Brock Keeling, Orange County Register, 12 Sep. 2024

Made with a cozy fleece fabric, this sweatshirt features snap buttons in lieu of a quarter-zip closure. —Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 11 Sep. 2024

Elsewhere in the Bay Area, the councils of Atherton, Oakley, Pleasant Hill and Moraga also voted to appoint city council candidates in lieu of an election, due to a lack of opposition candidates — a decision that has saved thousands of taxpayer dollars. —Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English liue, from Anglo-French liu, lieu, from Latin locus — more at stall

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing lieu

• in lieu
• in lieu of

Kids Definition

lieu

noun

ˈlü 

archaic

: place entry 1 sense 7b, stead