lie down

verb

lay down; lain down; lying down; lies down

intransitive verb

1

: to submit meekly or abjectly to defeat, disappointment, or insult

—used chiefly in the phrase take (something) lying down

… if Walker does get the go-ahead to implement his anti-union law, the teachers in Madison aren't going to take it lying down, Matthew says. They may walk out on the job again.

—Matthew Rothschild

2

: to fail to perform or to neglect one's part deliberately

—used chiefly in the phrase lie down on the job

While the Sanitation Department was accused of lying down on the job, the police were accused of harassment …

—Walter Thabit

see also lie entry 1 sense 1b

Examples of lie down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For example, it’s recommended to lie down for five minutes after inserting an acetaminophen suppository. —Ashley Wong, Health, 17 Oct. 2024

Kids can brush and style Sydney’s rooted hair without issues and watch her eyes close when she is propped or lying down. —Jacquelyn Smith, Parents, 17 Oct. 2024

The View cohosts Whoopi Goldberg and Sunny Hostin have not taken Donald Trump‘s recent nasty insults lying down, lashing back on their show today with smiles and dagger-like responses. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2024

In the 1970s, in a series of numbered performance pieces titled Rhythms, Abramović lay down inside a blazing frame of a wooden star, took seizure-inducing drugs and repeatedly cut her hand with a knife. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Video

Lay vs. Lie

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.