lying 1 of 4

lying

2 of 4

verb (1)

present participle of lie

lying

3 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

lying

4 of 4

noun

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
When accusations of lying are going both ways, who gets to control the truth? The New Yorker, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025 But lying becomes second nature. Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2025 At the same time, lying seems to be a particularly tough problem for AI companies to completely solve, at least in the short term. PC Magazine, 29 Aug. 2025 The real truth is that lying is not eviscerated. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025 And so the idea of the lying, cheating male, who will do anything to further his fitness, is not remote or fantasy. Quanta Magazine, 21 Aug. 2025 The neurosis and the strategic thinking, manipulation, lying, and hedging — all that stuff is 1,000 percent accurate. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2025 Republicans held firm to the idea that lying is wrong and the president should be held accountable for his decisions, regardless of other circumstances. Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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
Patel has nonetheless accused Wray of lying and argued that the former FBI director's handling of questions from lawmakers obscured key facts. Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025 Sure that the man had returned to kill him, Zeek grabbed the gun lying near the curb where it was dropped. Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2025 But Microsoft isn’t lying about the use. Jim Cramer, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2025 Locally heavy rain will quickly reduce visibility and result in ponding of water on roadways, standing water in low lying areas, and minor flooding of creeks, streams, and areas of poor drainage. Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 27 Sep. 2025 Officers found a man lying unresponsive in the street. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 26 Sep. 2025 In May, Republican lawmakers introduced a bill to crack down on people lying about emotional support and service animals. Quinn Clark, jsonline.com, 24 Sep. 2025 On Vought News, Cate is still parroting the story that she was assaulted by Starlighters and Jordan is lying for likes. Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025 But Kitty is right, considering how a man’s body is lying under a blanket. Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lying
Adjective
  • No wonder de Lesseps became a national pariah whose name was synonymous with dishonest incompetence.
    U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2025
  • These are cheap, dishonest shots against a great intellect, acknowledged by friends and opponents alike.
    James Gaylord, Oc Register, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In a chilling case of deception and domestic violence, what appeared to be months of stalking by an ex-boyfriend turned out to be an elaborate scheme orchestrated by a Colorado woman's own husband, culminating in her murder just days before Christmas.
    Doc Louallen, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Methods include propaganda, deception, sabotage and other non-military tactics, the alliance says.
    Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • To be fair, that number is slightly misleading.
    Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2025
  • But the content, murky and misleading, is designed to trick Californians into voting for a power grab.
    Laura Koval, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • 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
Adjective
  • Vedra and other debt law experts said a high rate of default judgments indicates a system that favors the pursuers over the pursued — and increases the chances someone will be harmed by an erroneous bill.
    Rae Ellen Bichell, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
  • And in 2010’s Flash Crash, algorithmic trading bots created a feedback loop of erroneous trades, wiping out nearly $1 trillion in market value in minutes.
    Steve Booren, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Emotional cheating occurs when someone develops a strong connection with someone other than their committed partner, leading to them sharing intimate thoughts, feelings and experiences, Sara Kuburic, a psychotherapist, previously wrote in USA TODAY.
    Melina Khan, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Slowly but surely, his cheating works.
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • At Comedy Central, Colbert rose to prominence playing a slightly exaggerated version of Bill O’Reilly and other unapologetically mendacious Fox News pundits from the George W. Bush years.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2025
  • The true story reveals both how freedom of speech first came to be conceived of as a mechanism for truth, an antidote to falsehood, and the foundation of all liberty—and that, ironically, this new and powerful theory was itself a deliberately mendacious fiction.
    Fara Dabhoiwala, Harpers Magazine, 4 June 2025
Noun
  • Fear of uncomfortable conversations creates cultures of dishonesty, making innovation impossible.
    Curt Steinhorst, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Smee’s traumatized both by Arthur’s sudden death and Slightly’s dishonesty.
    Noel Murray, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lying. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.

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