lie
Word family
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++lie1 /laɪ/ ●●● S2 W1 verb (past tense lay /leɪ/, past participle lain /leɪn/, present participle lying, third person singular lies) 1 flat position 水平位置 a) [intransitive]HORIZONTAL to be in a position in which your body is flat on the floor, on a bed etc 躺，平卧lie on/in etc He was lying on the bed smoking a cigarette. 他正躺在床上抽烟。 Don’t lie in the sun for too long. 不要在日光下躺太长时间。lie there For a few minutes he just lay there. 有几分钟时间他只是躺在那里。lie still/awake etc She would lie awake worrying. 她会担忧得无法入睡。 The dog was lying dead on the floor. 那只狗躺在地上死了。 b) (also lie down) [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]DOWN to put yourself in a position in which your body is flat on the floor or on a bed 躺下lie on Lie flat on the floor. 平躺在地板上。lie back She lay back against the pillows. 她躺下来，靠在枕头上。 c) [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]HORIZONTAL to be in a flat position on a surface 平放lie on/in etc The papers were lying neatly on his desk. 文件整齐地摆放在他的桌上。2 exist 存在 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]EXIST if a problem, an answer, blame etc lies somewhere, it is caused by, exists, or can be found in that thing, person, or situation 〔问题、答案、责任等〕存在，在于fault/blame/responsibility lies with somebody Part of the blame must lie with social services. 社会服务机构肯定也有一部分责任。the problem/answer etc lies with/in something The difficulty lies in providing sufficient evidence. 困难在于要提供足够的证据。 The strength of the book lies in the fact that the material is from classroom experience. 这本书的优点是它取材于课堂经验。herein/therein lies the problem/dilemma etc And herein lies the key to their achievements. 这是他们成功的关键所在。3 place 地方 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]PLACE if a town, village, etc lies in a particular place, it is in that place 位于 The town lies in a small wooded valley. 该城镇坐落于一个林木茂盛的山谷中。 The Tasman Sea lies between Tasmania and Australia. 塔斯曼海位于塔斯马尼亚和澳大利亚之间。4 future 将来 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]FUTURE if something lies ahead of you, lies in the future etc, it is going to happen to you in the future 将要发生lie ahead How will we cope with the difficulties that lie ahead? 我们如何应付以后的困难呢？lie before A blank and empty future lay before me. 我的未来是一片茫然和空白。 I was wondering what lay in store for us. 我在想，等待着我们的会是什么呢？5 condition 状态 [linking verb]BE to be in a particular state or condition 处于，保持〔某种状态〕6 lie at the heart/centre/root of something MAINto be the most important part of something, especially the main cause of it 处在某事物的核心/是某事物的根基7 lie low 8 lie in wait (for somebody) 9 lie (in) second/third/fourth etc (place) British EnglishBE to be in second, third etc position in a competition 〔在竞赛中〕名列第二/第三/第四等10 lie heavy on somebody formalSAD/UNHAPPY if something lies heavy on you, it makes you feel unhappy 沉重地压在某人心头，使某人感到不安11 dead person 死者 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]MX if someone lies in a particular place, they are buried there 长眠12. lie in state MXif an important person who has died lies in state, their body is put in a public place so that people can go and look at the body in order to show their respect for that person 〔重要人物的遗体〕停放于某处供瞻仰 → let sleeping dogs lie at sleep1(7) PHRASAL VERBS→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
lie• The camera doesn't lie.• Public servants, like children with guns, learn to lie.• I looked at her face and just knew that she was lying.• Movie stars always lie about their age.• The children's clothes were lying all over the bedroom floor.• Almost every night I lie awake in bed worrying about my family.• When they found him, he was lying face down in a pool of blood.• Now, with the founder gone, these ominous flaws lay glaringly exposed.• The jelly cupboard was on its back, its contents lying in a heap in the corner of the bottom shelf.• I spent most of the morning lying in bed.• Now the town lay in ruins.• The immorality lies in the inherent wrongness of people deliberately killing other people.• Her packed suitcase was lying near the door.• It doesn't set out to lie, of course, but it sometimes succeeds.• The baby was lying on his back in his crib, perfectly content.• We were both lying on our backs, our heads on our clasped hands.• Libby switched off the light and lay on the couch, staring into the darkness.• She was dressed in a silk kimono and lying on the daybed when he went in.• Lie on the floor and put your legs in the air.• Several letters were lying on the table.• He lay on the track for five minutes before being rescued by two friends who were also out riding.• Frank was lying there flat on his back, snoring away.• "The witness was lying through his teeth, " said Davis, "and should be charged with perjury."• Don't lie to me! I know where you were last night.• Recent storms destroyed a wall that had lain undisturbed underwater for thousands of years.lie on/in etc• The answer lies in a comparison between the conditions under which it worked before the war and works now.• The puzzle lay in his certainty that his feeling for her found an echo in her own feelings.• It was just lying on its poor back with its legs stuck up and a dreadfully resigned look on its dear face!• She was still lying on the carpet five minutes later when he left the apartment.• The first answer lies in the choice of books.• Since no Pareto gain is possible, every point such as C lying on the frontier must be Pareto-efficient.• Tim was lying on the sand, looking in the direction the man had gone.• The secret lies in those cryptic symbols that begin every web address.fault/blame/responsibility lies with somebody• The Communist Party's paralysis is one factor, but the prime responsibility lies with Labour's manic political caution.• Labour spokesman David Oakenson says there's evidence to suggest the blame lies with Swindon Police.• Clients will resist carrying these costs if the fault lies with the accountant.• If the case is not progressing, then the fault lies with the auditor.• The real blame lies with the licence granted to employers by a statutory regime which stacks every deck in their favour.• I am afraid the blame lies with the saboteurs.• Where the fault lies with the structure of the job there is little point in blaming the holder of the job.lie ahead• But remember, dangers lie ahead.• But that life was over now and a new one lay ahead.• Expectant parents should do their best to find time to talk with each other about what lies ahead.• Following the row between them, she had been frankly dreading the evening which had lain ahead.• Hillary is nothing if not aware of the pitfalls that lie ahead.• It is my first view of the road that lies ahead.• Obviously they had no idea what lay ahead after they had crossed the bridges and got close to the enemy positions.• Months of testing still lie ahead, with work being done at laboratories across the country.lie empty/open/hidden etc• One result of globalization is the exposure of management inadequacies that have long lain hidden.• We had managed to enter Bahdu, had been accepted, and the road to Aussa lay open.• Today, as the pavilions lie empty and neglected, they look like ossified tents - silk turned to stone.• His part was to lie hidden here until the main body arrived, and all the household poured out to meet them.• Beyond, the coast of Shikoku lay hidden in mist.• The man lifted up the newspaper, which was lying open on the counter.• In dismay Paige realised that the atlas lay open to his inspection.• The army sent to meet this threat was decimated at Adrianople: the road to Rome now lay open to the barbarians.lie2 ●●● S3 W3 verb (lied, lying, lies) [intransitive] 1 LIE/TELL A LIEto deliberately tell someone something that is not true 说谎2 UNTRUEif a picture, account etc lies, it does not show the true facts or the true situation 〔图片、叙述等〕造成假象，欺骗n THESAURUSlie/tell a lie to deliberately tell someone something that is not trueShe 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 childrenDan’s fibbing. I didn’t hit him.make something up/invent something to invent a story, explanation etc in order to deceive someoneI 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 informationThe 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 lyingHe admitted that he had perhaps been economical with the truth.perjure yourself/commit perjury to tell a lie in a court of lawHe had perjured himself in court.Witnesses will be prosecuted if they commit perjury.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
lie• Public servants, like children with guns, learn to lie.• Now, with the founder gone, these ominous flaws lay glaringly exposed.• The jelly cupboard was on its back, its contents lying in a heap in the corner of the bottom shelf.• The immorality lies in the inherent wrongness of people deliberately killing other people.• It doesn't set out to lie, of course, but it sometimes succeeds.• We were both lying on our backs, our heads on our clasped hands.• She was dressed in a silk kimono and lying on the daybed when he went in.• He lay on the track for five minutes before being rescued by two friends who were also out riding.lie about• I was pretty sure she was lying about where she was.lie3 ●●● S3 noun 1 [countable]LIE/TELL A LIE something that you say or write that you know is untrue 谎言，假话2 give the lie to something formalUNTRUE to show that something is untrue 揭穿某事物的谎言3 the lie of the land UNDERSTAND4 (I) tell a lie British English spokenCORRECT used when you realize that something you have just said is not correct (我)说错了 → live a lie at live1(16) COLLOCATIONSverbstell (somebody) a lie (对某人)说谎He got into trouble for telling a lie. 他撒了个谎，惹下麻烦了。believe a lie 相信谎言How could you believe his lies? 你怎么会听信他的谎言？spread lies (=tell them to a lot of people) 散布谎言How dare you spread such vicious lies? 你怎么胆敢散布如此恶毒的谎言？adjectivesa complete/total/outright lie (=something that is completely untrue) 彻底的/完全的谎言Of course the whole thing was a complete lie. 那整件事当然完全是一派谎言。nShe 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) 善意的小谎言We all have to tell white lies sometimes. 有时候我们都得说一些善意的小谎言。a downright lie (=used when something is clearly a lie, especially when you feel annoyed) 十足的谎言〔尤用于表示愤怒〕That’s a downright lie. I never said any such thing! 那是彻头彻尾的谎言。 我从没说过这样的话！a vicious lie (=one that is very unkind and very untrue) 恶毒的谎言nHe told the court that it was a vicious lie from beginning to end.a blatant lie (=an obvious lie) 露骨的谎言nHe 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) 厚颜无耻的谎言nHow can you stand there and tell me such a barefaced lie?an elaborate lie 精心编织的谎言nHer parents didn’t realise that it was all an elaborate lie.a big lie 弥天大谎nThe lawyer said it was a ‘big lie’ that Jones had not received the message.phrasesa pack of lies informal (also a tissue of lies British English formal) (=a lot of lies) 一派谎言，谎话连篇Everything he had told me was a pack of lies. 他告诉我的一切都是一派谎言。COMMON ERRORS ► Don’t say ‘say a lie’. Say tell a lie. 不要说 ‘say a lie’. 而要说 tell a lie.n THESAURUSlie noun [countable] something you say or write that you know is untrueWould you tell lies to protect a friend?The allegation is a complete lie.white lie noun [countable] informal a lie that you tell to avoid upsetting someoneWe all tell white lies sometimes.fib noun [countable] informal a lie, especially about something that is not very important – used especially by childrenHave you been telling fibs?porky noun [countable usually plural] British English informal a lie – a very informal useHe’s been telling porkies again.falsehood noun [countable] formal a statement that is not true, especially one that is intended to give people the wrong idea about someone or somethingHe described the allegations as malicious falsehoods.untruth noun [countable] formal a lie – used especially when you want to avoid saying the word lieSome workers go off and tell untruths about the organisations for which they are working. fabrication noun [countable, uncountable] formal a story or claim that someone has invented in order to deceive someone, or the act of doing thisThe claim was described as a fabrication by the police prosecutor.He dismissed the charges as pure fabrication.libel noun [uncountable] law the crime of writing lies that could make people have a bad opinion of someone, especially in a newspaper or magazineShe sued the newspaper for libel.libel lawsslander noun [countable, uncountable] law the crime of speaking lies that could make people have a bad opinion of someone, or an untrue statement which does thisHe’s threatening to sue them for slander.a slander on the good name of the companyLinking his name to terrorism was a slander.Examples from the Corpus
lie• That would be a bit of a lie.• Jim said that he was planning to stay home and watch TV, but I knew it was a lie.• Jean Cocteau said that history is facts which become lies and that legends are lies which become history.• Davenport said the congressman's allegations were nothing more than "downright lies".• Otherwise, it would sound like some kind of weird, fawning lie.• He called the report "a pack of lies".• And yet parents press children to be truthful, admonishing against wild stories and silly lies.• How can the newspapers print all these lies about her?• But she was afraid that some evil tongue might poison me with lies ...lie1 verb →PHRASAL VERBS1lie2 verb →n THESAURUS1lie3 noun →COLLOCATIONS1 →n THESAURUS1LDOCE OnlineChinese
a to in position in be Corpus
lie
lie1 S2 W1 /laɪ/ 
verb (past tense lay /leɪ/, past participle lain /leɪn/, present participle lying, third person singular lies)
1. FLAT POSITION
a. [intransitive] to be in a position in which your body is flat on the floor, on a bed etc
lie on/in etc
He was lying on the bed smoking a cigarette.
Don’t lie in the sun for too long.
lie there
For a few minutes he just lay there.
lie still/awake etc
She would lie awake worrying.
The dog was lying dead on the floor.
b. (also lie down) [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to put yourself in a position in which your body is flat on the floor or on a bed
lie on
Lie flat on the floor.
lie back
She lay back against the pillows.
c. [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to be in a flat position on a surface
lie on/in etc
The papers were lying neatly on his desk.
2. EXIST [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if a problem, an answer, blame etc lies somewhere, it is caused by, exists, or can be found in that thing, person, or situation
fault/blame/responsibility lies with somebody
Part of the blame must lie with social services.
the problem/answer etc lies with/in something
The difficulty lies in providing sufficient evidence.
The strength of the book lies in the fact that the material is from classroom experience.
herein/therein lies the problem/dilemma etc
And herein lies the key to their achievements.
3. PLACE [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if a town, village, etc lies in a particular place, it is in that place:
The town lies in a small wooded valley.
The Tasman Sea lies between Tasmania and Australia.
4. FUTURE [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if something lies ahead of you, lies in the future etc, it is going to happen to you in the future
lie ahead
How will we cope with the difficulties that lie ahead?
lie before
A blank and empty future lay before me.
I was wondering what lay in store for us.
5. CONDITION [linking verb] to be in a particular state or condition
lie empty/open/hidden etc
The book lay open on the table.
The town now lay in ruins.
6. lie at the heart/centre/root of something to be the most important part of something, especially the main cause of it:
the issue that lies at the heart of the present conflict
7. lie low
a. to remain hidden because someone is trying to find you or catch you:
We’ll have to lie low until tonight.
b. to wait and try not to be noticed by anyone:
He decided to lie low for a while after the report came out.
8. lie in wait (for somebody)
a. to remain hidden in a place and wait for someone so that you can attack them:
a giant crocodile lying in wait for its prey
b. if something bad lies in wait for you, it is going to happen to you
9. lie (in) second/third/fourth etc (place) British English to be in second, third etc position in a competition:
Liverpool are lying third in the football championship.
10. lie heavy on somebody formal if something lies heavy on you, it makes you feel unhappy:
The feelings of guilt lay heavy on him.
11. DEAD PERSON [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if someone lies in a particular place, they are buried there:
Here lies Percival Smythe (=written on a gravestone).
12. lie in state if an important person who has died lies in state, their body is put in a public place so that people can go and look at the body in order to show their respect for that person
⇨ let sleeping dogs lie at sleep1(6)
lie around (also lie about British English) phrasal verb
1. lie around (something) if something is lying around, it has been left somewhere in an untidy way, rather than being in its proper place:
If you leave your shoes lying around like that, you’ll trip over them.
Papers and books lay around the room in complete chaos.
2. if you lie around, you spend time lying down and not doing anything:
I felt so lazy just lying around on the beach all day.
lie behind something phrasal verb
if something lies behind an action, it is the real reason for the action even though it may be hidden:
She soon guessed what lay behind his question.
Two basic assumptions lay behind the policy.
lie down phrasal verb
1. to put yourself in a position in which your body is flat on the floor or on a bed:
Just lie down on the bed.
2. take something lying down informal to accept bad treatment without complaining:
I’m not going to take this lying down!
lie in phrasal verb British English
to remain in bed in the morning for longer than usual ⇨ lie-in
lie up phrasal verb British English
to hide or rest somewhere for a period of time:
The next day they lay up in a cave.
lie2 S3 W3 verb (past tense and past participle lied, present participle lying, third person singular lies) [intransitive]
1. to deliberately tell someone something that is not true:
I could tell from her face that she was lying.
lie to
I would never lie to you.
lie about
She lied about her age.
lie through your teeth (=say something that is completely untrue)
2. if a picture, account etc lies, it does not show the true facts or the true situation:
Statistics can often lie.
The camera never lies.
▪ 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.
lie3 S3 noun1. [countable] something that you say or write that you know is untrue:
I always know when he’s telling lies.
lie about
I knew that soon she would hear the lies about me.
2. give the lie to something formal to show that something is untrue:
This report gives the lie to the company’s claims.
3. the lie of the land
a. the way that a situation is developing at a particular time:
I'll talk to him and get the lie of the land before we go over.
b. the way an area of land has been formed and the physical features it has
4. (I) tell a lie British English spoken used when you realize that something you have just said is not correct:
It was £25, no, tell a lie, £35.
⇨ live a lie at live1(16)
■ 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.
▪ lie noun [countable] something you say or write that you know is untrue: Would you tell lies to protect a friend? | The allegation is a complete lie.
▪white lie noun [countable] informal a lie that you tell to avoid upsetting someone: We all tell white lies sometimes.
▪fib noun [countable] informal a lie, especially about something that is not very important – used especially by children: Have you been telling fibs?
▪porky noun [countable usually plural] British English informal a lie – a very informal use: He’s been telling porkies again.
▪falsehood noun [countable] formal a statement that is not true, especially one that is intended to give people the wrong idea about someone or something: He described the allegations as malicious falsehoods.
▪untruth noun [countable] formal a lie – used especially when you want to avoid saying the word lie: Some workers go off and tell untruths about the organisations for which they are working.
▪fabrication noun [uncountable and countable] formal a story or claim that someone has invented in order to deceive someone, or the act of doing this: The claim was described as a fabrication by the police prosecutor. | He dismissed the charges as pure fabrication.
▪libel noun [uncountable] law the crime of writing lies that could make people have a bad opinion of someone, especially in a newspaper or magazine: She sued the newspaper for libel. | libel laws
▪slander noun [uncountable and countable] law the crime of speaking lies that could make people have a bad opinion of someone, or an untrue statement which does this: He’s threatening to sue them for slander. | a slander on the good name of the company | Linking his name to terrorism was a slander.
| I |
verb (past tense lay /leɪ/, past participle lain /leɪn/, present participle lying, third person singular lies)1. FLAT POSITION
a. [intransitive] to be in a position in which your body is flat on the floor, on a bed etc
lie on/in etc
lie there
lie still/awake etc
b. (also lie down) [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to put yourself in a position in which your body is flat on the floor or on a bed
lie on
lie back
c. [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to be in a flat position on a surface
lie on/in etc
2. EXIST [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if a problem, an answer, blame etc lies somewhere, it is caused by, exists, or can be found in that thing, person, or situation
fault/blame/responsibility lies with somebody
the problem/answer etc lies with/in something
herein/therein lies the problem/dilemma etc
3. PLACE [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if a town, village, etc lies in a particular place, it is in that place:
4. FUTURE [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if something lies ahead of you, lies in the future etc, it is going to happen to you in the future
lie ahead
lie before
5. CONDITION [linking verb] to be in a particular state or condition
lie empty/open/hidden etc
6. lie at the heart/centre/root of something to be the most important part of something, especially the main cause of it:
7. lie low
a. to remain hidden because someone is trying to find you or catch you:
b. to wait and try not to be noticed by anyone:
8. lie in wait (for somebody)
a. to remain hidden in a place and wait for someone so that you can attack them:
b. if something bad lies in wait for you, it is going to happen to you
9. lie (in) second/third/fourth etc (place) British English to be in second, third etc position in a competition:
10. lie heavy on somebody formal if something lies heavy on you, it makes you feel unhappy:
11. DEAD PERSON [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if someone lies in a particular place, they are buried there:
12. lie in state if an important person who has died lies in state, their body is put in a public place so that people can go and look at the body in order to show their respect for that person
⇨ let sleeping dogs lie at sleep1(6)
lie around (also lie about British English) phrasal verb
1. lie around (something) if something is lying around, it has been left somewhere in an untidy way, rather than being in its proper place:
2. if you lie around, you spend time lying down and not doing anything:
lie behind something phrasal verb
if something lies behind an action, it is the real reason for the action even though it may be hidden:
lie down phrasal verb
1. to put yourself in a position in which your body is flat on the floor or on a bed:
2. take something lying down informal to accept bad treatment without complaining:
lie in phrasal verb British English
to remain in bed in the morning for longer than usual ⇨ lie-in
lie up phrasal verb British English
to hide or rest somewhere for a period of time:
| II |
verb (past tense and past participle lied, present participle lying, third person singular lies) [intransitive]1. to deliberately tell someone something that is not true:
lie to
lie about
lie through your teeth (=say something that is completely untrue)
2. if a picture, account etc lies, it does not show the true facts or the true situation:
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noun1. [countable] something that you say or write that you know is untrue: lie about
2. give the lie to something formal to show that something is untrue:
3. the lie of the land
a. the way that a situation is developing at a particular time:
b. the way an area of land has been formed and the physical features it has
4. (I) tell a lie British English spoken used when you realize that something you have just said is not correct:
⇨ live a lie at live1(16)
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■ COMMON ERRORS
► Do not say 'say a lie'. Say tell a lie.
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