Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lie

/laɪ̯/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.84 in modern English

Syllables
lie
IPA
/laɪ̯/
3
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To rest in a horizontal position on a surface.

Intransitive verb

verb

To be placed or situated.

Intransitive verb

verb

To abide; to remain for a longer or shorter time; to be in a certain state or condition.

Intransitive verb

verb

Used with in: to be or exist; to belong or pertain; to have an abiding place; to consist.

verb

Used with with: to have sexual relations with.

verb

Used with on/upon: to be incumbent (on); to be the responsibility of a person.

verb

To lodge; to sleep.

Archaic

verb

To be still or quiet, like one lying down to rest.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English lien, liggen, from Old English liċġan, from Proto-West Germanic *liggjan, from Proto-Germanic *ligjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ-. Cognates Cognate with Yola lee, lidge (“to lie”), North Frisian lade, lai, laie, lei, lii, läde, läie (“to lie; to lay”), Saterland Frisian lääse (“to lie; to lay”), West Frisian lizze (“to lie”), Alemannic German ligge (“to lie”), Central Franconian lijje (“to lie”), Dutch and Dutch Low Saxon liggen (“to lie”), German liegen (“to lie”), German Low German ligge, liggen (“to lie”), Luxembourgish leien (“to lie”), Yiddish ליגן (lign, “to lie”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål ligge (“to lie”), Faroese and Icelandic liggja (“to lie”), Norwegian Nynorsk ligge, liggja, liggje (“to lie”), Swedish ligga (“to lie”), Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (ligan, “to lie, to rest”); and with Irish laigh, luigh (“to lie”), Manx lhie (“lie; lay”), Scottish Gaelic laigh (“lie; lay”), Faliscan 𐌋𐌄𐌂𐌄𐌕 (lecet, “he lies down”), Latin lectus (“bed”), South Picene 𐌅𐌄𐌉𐌀𐌕 (veiat, “to lie”), Ancient Greek λέχομαι (lékhomai, “to lie down”), Albanian lag (“band, encampment, troop”), Belarusian ляжа́ць (ljažácʹ, “to lie”), Bulgarian лежа́ (ležá, “to lie”), Czech ležet (“to lie”), Macedonian лежи (leži, “to lie”), Polish leżeć (“to lie”), Russian лежа́ть (ležátʹ, “to lie”), Serbo-Croatian лѐжати, lèžati (“to lie”), Slovene ležáti (“to lie”), Ukrainian лежа́ти (ležáty, “to lie”), Tocharian B lyäk- (“to lie”). As a noun for position, the noun has the same etymology above as the verb.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *legʰ-, lien, liċġan, *liggjan, *ligjaną, *lewgʰ-

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

lay a corresponding transitive version of this word lees lier the cake is a lie cry wolf give the lie to a lie has no legs

Synonyms

Homonyms

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce lie?
The recorded pronunciation is /laɪ̯/.
What does lie mean?
To rest in a horizontal position on a surface.
Where does lie come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce lie

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “lie”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/laɪ̯/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “lie”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “lie” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.