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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Imperfect legislation is virtually guaranteed, but the true risk for the industry lies down another path that remains undiscussed. Sean Stein Smith, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024 Players will often accidentally go prone instead of diving or sliding, which can result in a frustrating death when trying to quickly escape harm’s way, only to end up lying down directly in its path. Cade Onder, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2024 Our hands-on testing team examines a variety of factors, including: Firmness level: Our testers lie down and move around on the mattresses and rank firmness on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the most firm. Macy Alcido, Architectural Digest, 31 Oct. 2024 Perhaps now is the time to end that cycle, lay down a blueprint for success and return United to something of its former self. Ben Church, CNN, 28 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lie down 

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lie down was in 1888

Dictionary Entries Near lie down

Cite this Entry

“Lie down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lie%20down. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

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