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| lie [ lī ] |
intransitive verb (past and past participle lied, present participle ly·ing [ l ing ], 3rd person present singular lies) |
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1. deliberately say something untrue: to say something that is not true in a conscious effort to deceive somebody
 He lied about his age in order to get into the army.
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2. be deceptive: to give a false impression
Don't forget that appearances can lie.
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noun (plural lies) |
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1. falsehood: a false statement made deliberately
She told me she wasn't seeing anyone else, but that was a lie.
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2. false appearance: a situation based on deception or a false impression
beginning to feel that my whole life is a lie
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| [ Old English lēogan (verb), lyge (noun) < Germanic] |
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give the lie to something to show that something is not true
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| Word Key: Synonyms |
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lie, untruth, falsehood, fabrication, fib, white lie
CORE MEANING: something that is not true
lie a false statement made deliberately;
He described the evidence of his accusers as "a pack of lies."
A police spokesperson declared that the allegation was "a blatant lie."
untruth something that is presented as being true but is actually false;
This young woman was clearly quite able to tell untruths when it suited her.
falsehood an intentionally untrue statement;
The account was full of inaccuracies, even falsehoods.
fabrication an invented statement, story, or account devised with intent to deceive;
She claims that the infamous Richard III of Shakespeare and history books is a Tudor fabrication.
fib (informal) an insignificant or harmless lie;
That's a fib! I know you haven't been sick.
white lie a lie not intended to harm, but told in order to avoid distress or embarrassment;
telling little white lies in order to avoid conflict
Why hadn't she told a white lie and said the color was flattering? |
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