[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/lie.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / lie

[← L](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/L/)

# lie

«lie» in Mova's school dictionary: **to rest or be flat on something, like a bed or the ground** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (lie, lies, lay, lain, lying = rest flat); verb (lie, lies, lied, lying = say what is false); noun (a lie, lies)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To lie is to rest or be flat on something, like a bed or the ground. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lie/#m1)

2) To lie is also to be in a place: the town lies by the sea. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lie/#m2)

3) To lie is to say something you know is not true, to trick someone. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lie/#m3)

4) A lie is a thing said that the speaker knows is false. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lie/#m4)

5) To lie up can also mean to hide away and stay out of sight. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lie/#m5)

### sense in the lessons

In maths problems it is mostly a word of the story; sometimes it places things lying somewhere to be counted, or it comes in true/false and «who is lying» logic puzzles. In everyday life and safety: telling lies breaks trust; a white lie is a small kind one; lie down when you feel faint. In stories, a lie often starts the trouble.

### examples

- 6 cats lie on the rug. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lie/#x1)
- 12 books lie on the table. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lie/#x2)
- One of the children lied about the score. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lie/#x3)
- Lie down on the mat and rest. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lie/#x4)
- The dog is lying in the sun. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lie/#x5)
- He told a lie about breaking the window. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lie/#x6)
- Telling the truth is better than telling lies. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lie/#x7)
- The village lies at the foot of a hill. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lie/#x8)
- Yesterday I lay in bed until nine. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lie/#x9)
- Now, where does he lie up? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lie/#x10)

### note

Two verbs with different past forms: lie (rest) → lay, lain; lie (not tell the truth) → lied, lied. Both have «lying». Trap: the past of «lie» (rest) is «lay», the same as the word «lay» (put down: lay the book on the table). A liar is a person who lies. Maths: usually no clue; it places things to be counted.

### In the corpora

- [Most people think tiny kind lies are OK, but big lies that hurt people or hide important things are not.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/37-sorry-white-lies-and-because-i-said-so/9/)
- [And when the law decides a story was a lie, the magazine has to pay.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/47-viral-rumours-cancellations-fakes-and-apologies/6/)
- [She whispers to her mum that the girls watched a scary film and she lay awake till three, listening to every creak.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/56-scary-films-nightmares-and-sad-endings/5/)
- [Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling standing on a scaffold and bending his head back, not lying down.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/arts/42-olympiad-picture-puzzles/13/)
- [Crocodiles cannot sweat, so they lie with their mouths open to let heat out and go into water or shade.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/88-reptile-house-komodo-chameleons-tortoises-crocodiles/12/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «lie» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lie/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.