as in dishonest
telling or containing lies
that lying son of a gun told me that the used car had never been in an accident
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in deception
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in deceiving
to make a statement one knows to be untrue
would I lie to you about that?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in sitting
to occupy a place or location
I left the book lying on the counter
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in hiding
to remain out of sight
paparazzi were lying in wait outside the restaurant, a well-known celebrity hangout
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lying
Kenan Draughorne, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2022
Sarah Vanbuskirk, Parents, 10 Jan. 2026
The lying, the calls for political violence, the nonstop gaslighting just cannot become anything approaching normal.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 21 Nov. 2025
In it, Buzzard accused Brewer of lying and of seeking media attention, while Brewer could be heard asking to leave twice.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 21 Nov. 2025
Lowest lying yards along Blue Creek are flooded.
—Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Crawford said the lying in wait allegations could not be proved because his client was just standing by a gate when the attack happened.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 15 Oct. 2025
Stop the madness, stop the lying, and just be free.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2025
Stop the madness, stop the lying and just be free.
—Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Overstatement, gross exaggeration, outright lying.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2026
According to a transcript of the call, the friend found Spencer Tepe lying next to his bed in a puddle of blood.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 11 Jan. 2026
The distinction between truth and delusion has taken some tough blows in the digital age — from lying politicians, the internet, politicians lying on the internet — and that was before AI.
—Naveen Kumar, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2026
The characters are lying, to themselves and to each other, but the role of the audience in believing or not believing their lies is totally irrelevant.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 Jan. 2026
The royal sisters had been mostly lying low since the scandal around their father unfolded in October, keeping a quiet profile.
—Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
Where are all of the activists who lined the streets screaming about a fake genocide and lying about Israeli apartheid and other libels?
—Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 8 Jan. 2026
Secret recordings detailed in the indictment describe how Tricolor leaders financed their business by lying about inventory and their customer base.
—Samuel O'Neal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Jan. 2026
The defining image of this exact fixture back in February was Szoboszlai lying face-down on the pitch at full time of Liverpool’s 2-0 away win, utterly spent.
—Andy Jones, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
He was found dead lying face up on his hotel bed with no signs of trauma, according to a Monday report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
—Noun
Our guide gives you the best strategies to handle lying and deception at every stage and smart ways to teach your child the value of honesty.
—Verb
The fact that the video is available has not stopped Trump or members of his administration from lying about the heinous crime committed against a 37-year-old mother of three.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for lying
Adjective
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Multiple points of validation will help combat dishonest applicants, DEED Deputy Commissioner Evan Rowe told lawmakers at the time.—
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Thai Diner Yes, Thai Diner is technically in NoLita, but leaving it out would feel even more dishonest.—
Noun
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McCoy is charged with theft by deception, violation of oath of office, and three counts of false statements and writings.—
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Harper got fired for the aforementioned deception.—
Adjective
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Experts immediately pointed out that Hassett had used a misleading method known as a cubic fit to make the mortality data appear less frightening.—
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For its misleading omissions, the Times story deserves a flunking grade.—
Noun
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This week, in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Pam Bondi gave a master class in obfuscation, prevarication, and pettiness.—
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There was no picture, there was no drawing, there has been so many lies, so much prevarication, so much cover up.—
Adjective
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Quick hits — Canales told reporters that the refs in the Panthers’ loss to the Bucs on Saturday never gave the Panthers the chance to replay a critical down after an erroneous whistle stopped it dead.—
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In Wiggins case, the court ruled the trial judge gave erroneous legal instructions to the jury.—
Noun
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Instead, tax enforcement has been starved, and large-scale cheating has proliferated.—
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The process seems to be amicable; there was no cheating or abuse.—
Adjective
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In the dry California hills, an intentional community tries to build a pyre for one of its own, and, in the complex and mendacious aftermath, may end up sort of burning down the nation-state.—
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To claim the opposite rings hollow at best, if not mendacious.—
Noun
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Jennette McCurdy admitted the hardest part of returning to Hollywood isn’t the work itself, but realizing dishonesty is rewarded in the industry.—
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The memo notes several sustained violations of Austin Police Department general orders, including failure to de-escalate, unreasonable response to resistance, inaccurate and misleading report writing, dishonesty and acts bringing discredit upon the department.—
Cite this Entry
“Lying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lying. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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