lying

1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of lie (“to rest in a horizontal position”)

   Without shutting herself up from her family ... or lying awake the whole night to indulge meditation, Elinor found every day afforded her leisure enough to think of Edward.

   1811, Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility 19

plural lyings

1. The act of one who lies, or keeps low to the ground.

   1854, Saint Augustine, Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm LXIV, translated by Philip Schaff et al. But whom could the lyings in wait of the human heart escape?

1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of lie (“to intentionally give false information”)

plural lyings

1. An act or telling a lie or falsehood; the practice of telling lies.

   Trump’s lying is no less constant or blatant than in 2016, but by now it feels familiar, already priced in. What more is there to say about the “war on truth” a decade into Trump’s political career?

   2025 October 2, William Davies, “A critique of pure stupidity: understanding Trump 2.0”, in The Guardian

   1 more example

   [W]hether a man would fain be pleased with sin, or be quiet and fearless when he hath sinned, or continue in it, or persuade others to it, he must do it by false propositions, by lyings, and such weak discourses as none can believe but such as are born fools, or such as have made themselves so, or are made so by others.

   1653, “Twenty-five Sermons Preached at Golden Grove; Being for the Winter Half-year, […]: Sermon XX. [Apples of Sodom; or, The Fruits of Sin.] Part II.”, in Reginald Heber, editor, The Whole Works of the Right Rev. Jeremy Taylor, D.D. […], volume V, London: Ogle, Duncan, and Co. […]; and Richard Priestley, […], published 1822, →OCLC, page 298

comparative more lying · comparative lyinger · superlative most lying · superlative lyingest

1. not comparableusuallyTending to tell lies, untruthful, mendacious

   Gloster: Then, Saunder, sit there, the lyingest knave in Christendom.

   1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]

   2 more examples

   Sly: Ask Marian Hacket, the fat ale-wife of Wincot, if she know me not: if she say I am not fourteen pence on the score for sheer ale, score me up for the lyingest knave in Christendom.

   c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act INDUCTION, scene ii]

   “God, how you lie, skinny! You’re about the lyingest woman I’ve ever met. I’ll be damned if I’ll keep on asking questions when it’s plain as day you’re not about to give out any answers.

   1998, Charlotte Vale Allen, Mixed Emotions, Island Nation Press LLC, →ISBN, page 178

1. participlepastsimple past and past participle of lye