english
1
general::
verb
recline:
I will lie down and take a nap.
verb
exists:
The trouble lies with his education.
noun
untruths:
Her lies got her into trouble.
verb
prevaricate:
You will suffer if you lie.
Simple Definitions
2
general::
lie in sth
UK
to exist or be found in something
• His skill lies in his ability to communicate quite complex ideas very simply.
• The play's interest lies in the questions it raises about sexuality., lie in
UK
to stay in bed later than usual in the morning
• It was a Sunday, so she could lie in till almost lunch time., lie around
to spend time lying down and doing very little
• I spent a week in Spain, lying around on the beach., lie behind sth
If something lies behind something else, it is the hidden cause of it
• Do you know what lies behind their decision?, lie up
mainly UK
to hide from police officers, soldiers, etc. who are looking for you
• The escaped prisoners lay up in a barn for a few weeks, until the search had been called off., lie about/around
If things are lying about/around, they are left in places where they should not be
• Has anyone seen my keys lying about?
• I wouldn't leave any money lying around the office if I were you., lie back
to move the top half of your body from a sitting to a lying position
• She lay back in the dentist's chair and tried to relax., lie down
to move into a position in which your body is flat, usually in order to sleep or rest
• He lay down on the bed and tried to relax.
Cambridge-Phrasal Verbs
3
general::
noun ADJ. big, monstrous, (whopping) great He told a whopping great lie! | little | complete, downright, outright That's a downright lie! | white A little white lie is surely excusable. | deliberate | barefaced, blatant, obvious, transparent | elaborate a web of elaborate lies VERB + LIE tell (sb) | believe, swallow How could she swallow such a blatant lie? | live He lived a lie for thirty years, pretending to be the faithful husband of two different women living in two different towns. LIE + NOUN detector PHRASES a pack/tissue/web of lies, verb be in a flat position ADV. down He was lying down on the bed. PREP. on She lay on her stomach. PHRASES lie asleep/awake I used to lie awake at night worrying about it. | lie face down/prostrate lying face down in the mud | lie flat lying flat on the floor | lie motionless/still Lie still while I put the bandage on. | lie sprawled She lay sprawled on the sofa. say sth that is not true ADV. convincingly He was unable to lie convincingly. | easily PREP. about She lied about her age. | to Don't lie to me.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
4
general::
lie/tell a lie
to deliberately tell someone something that is not true:
• She had lied to protect her son. • Are you accusing me of telling lies?
fib
verb [ intransitive ] informal to lie, especially about something that is not very important – used especially by children:
• Dan’s fibbing. I didn’t hit him.
make something up/invent something
to invent a story, explanation etc in order to deceive someone:
• I didn’t want to go so I made up an excuse and said I was busy. • He invented the tale to prevent his parents from finding out the truth.
mislead
verb [ transitive ] to make someone believe something that is not true by giving them false or incomplete information:
• The government misled the public over the war.
be economical with the truth
to only tell someone part of the truth – often used when saying indirectly that someone is lying:
• He admitted that he had perhaps been economical with the truth.
perjure yourself/commit perjury
to tell a lie in a court of law:
• He had perjured himself in court. • Witnesses will be prosecuted if they commit perjury.
Longman-Thesaurus
5
general::
In addition to the idioms beginning with LIE, Also see BAREFACED LIE; GIVE THE LIE TO; (LIE) IN STATE; LAY OF THE LAND (HOW THE LAND LIES); LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE; LIVE A LIE; MAKE ONE'S BED AND LIE IN IT; TAKE LYING DOWN; WHITE LIE.
American Heritage Idioms
6
general::
lie
verbs
tell (somebody) a lie
• He got into trouble for telling a lie.
believe a lie
• How could you believe his lies?
spread lies
(= tell them to a lot of people )
• How dare you spread such vicious lies?
adjectives
a complete/total/outright lie
(= something that is completely untrue )
• Of course the whole thing was a complete lie. • She didn't want to tell her mother an outright lie.
a white lie
(= a small lie that you tell someone for good reasons, for example to avoid hurting their feelings )
• We all have to tell white lies sometimes.
a downright lie
(= used when something is a clearly a lie, especially when you feel annoyed )
• That's a downright lie. I never said any such thing!
a vicious lie
(= one that is very unkind and very untrue )
• He told the court that it was a vicious lie from beginning to end.
a blatant lie
(= an obvious lie )
• He felt sure Adams was not convinced by such blatant lies.
a barefaced lie
British English , a bald-faced lie American English (= an obvious lie that is told with no sense of shame )
• How can you stand there and tell me such a barefaced lie?
an elaborate lie
• Her parents didn’t realise that it was all an elaborate lie.
a big lie
• The lawyer said it was a ‘big lie’ that Jones had not received the message.
phrases
a pack of lies
informal ( also a tissue of lies British English formal ) (= a lot of lies )
• Everything he had told me was a pack of lies.
COMMON ERRORS
>>> Do not say ' say a lie '. Say tell a lie .
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