Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lie at someone's door

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.15 in modern English

Syllables: lie at -some-one's -door
IPA

20

Scrabble Score

17

Letters

4

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To be the fault or responsibility of someone.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"Appointed foreign minister in 2004, he has since then through successive US administrations developed a Putinesque revulsion for all western ideas, if not all western consumer durables. At one point, he said all the ills of the 20th century colonialism, two world wars and the cold war lay at the door of American arrogance."

Etymology

Compare lay at someone's door.

Usage

Intransitive verb

Inflected Forms

lies at someone's door (present, singular) lying at someone's door (participle, present) lay at someone's door (past) lain at someone's door (participle, past)

Phrases

at someone's door lay at someone's door

Frequently Paired Words

at someone's door lay at someone's door

Questions

What does lie at someone's door mean?: To be the fault or responsibility of someone.
Where does lie at someone's door come from?: Compare lay at someone's door.

How to pronounce lie at someone's door

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