lie down

verb

lay down; lain down; lying down; lies down

intransitive verb

1

: to submit meekly or abjectly to defeat, disappointment, or insult

—used chiefly in the phrase take (something) lying down

… if Walker does get the go-ahead to implement his anti-union law, the teachers in Madison aren't going to take it lying down, Matthew says. They may walk out on the job again.

—Matthew Rothschild

2

: to fail to perform or to neglect one's part deliberately

—used chiefly in the phrase lie down on the job

While the Sanitation Department was accused of lying down on the job, the police were accused of harassment …

—Walter Thabit

see also lie entry 1 sense 1b

Examples of lie down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Specialists called the Icefall Doctors secure ropes and lay down ladder bridges through the labyrinthian Khumbu Icefall, a section of glacier is riddled by crevasses and sheer drop offs. —Ben Ayers, Outside Online, 9 May 2025

Grounding practices like walking barefoot on grass, sitting with your back against a tree or lying down with a weighted eye pillow, are also go-to strategies for Dalla-Camina. —Anna Haines, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025

Israel has demanded that Hamas lay down its arms, which the group has refused to do. —Aaron Boxerman, New York Times, 3 May 2025

In the spot, West was shown lying down at the dentist, shooting the spot on an iPhone front-facing camera, with sunglasses on. —Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 1 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lie down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Video

Lay vs. Lie

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.