Lying Lay Lie Lies Laɪ Floor Place I

• to lie on your back/side/front
• the cat was lying fast asleep by the fire.
• clothes were lying all over the floor.
• the book lay open on his desk.

lie

1. to be or put yourself in a flat or horizontal position so that you are not standing or sitting
• to lie on your back/side/front
• The cat was lying fast asleep by the fire.
2. to be or remain in a flat position on a surface
• Clothes were lying all over the floor.
• The book lay open on his desk.
3. to be, remain or be kept in a particular state
• Snow was lying thick on the ground.
• These machines have lain idle since the factory closed.
• a ship lying at anchor
• I'd rather use my money than leave it lying in the bank.
4. to be located in a particular place
• The town lies on the coast.
5. to be spread out in a particular place
• The valley lay below us.
6. to exist or be found
• The problem lies in deciding when to intervene.
7. to be in a particular position during a competition
• Thompson is lying in fourth place.
• After five games the German team are lying second.
8. to be the original cause of something, especially something unpleasant
• We need to find out what lies at the bottom of these fears.
9. to be very noticeable in a particular place in a way that is unpleasant
• Smoke lay heavy on the far side of the water.
• Despair hangs heavy in the stifling air.
10. to cause somebody/something to feel uncomfortable or anxious
• The crime lay heavy on her conscience.
11. to avoid mentioning a subject or something that happened in the past, in order to avoid any problems or arguments
12. to be going to happen to somebody in the future
• You are young and your whole life lies ahead of you.
• She didn’t know what lay in store.
13. to be placed on view in a public place before being buried
14. to hide, waiting to surprise, attack or catch somebody
• He was surrounded by reporters who had been lying in wait for him.
15. to try not to attract attention to yourself
16. to find out about a situation
• Let's wait and see how the land lies before we do anything.
17. to accept an insult or offensive act without protesting or reacting
18. you must accept the results of your actions

Extra Examples

• A man lay dead in the middle of the road.
• He just lay there smiling.
• He was lying down on the bed.
• He was lying face down in the mud.
• I used to lie awake at night worrying about it.
• I was lying flat on the floor.
• Lie face up with your feet on the floor.
• Lie still while I put the bandage on.
• She lay on her stomach.
• She lay sprawled on the sofa.
• She likes to lie in bed all day.
• She was still lying naked on the bed.
• The answer seems to lie elsewhere.
• The big difference between them lies in their attitudes.
• The blame lies with your parents.
• We must be prepared for whatever lies ahead.
• She lay on her back and looked up at the sky.
• You could see from his face that he was lying.

Verb Forms

• present simple I / you / we / they lie
• he / she / it lies
• past simple lay
• past participle lain
• -ing form lying

Word Origin

• Old English licgan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch liggen and German liegen, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek lektron, lekhos and Latin lectus ‘bed’.