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

The headache might be worse when waking up, lying down, or engaging in activities that increase pressure in the skull, such as coughing or bending over. —Julie Scott, Msn, People.com, 2 Oct. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Video

Lay vs. Lie

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.