lie behind — ˌlie be ˈhind [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they lie behind he/she/it lies behind present participle lying behind past tense lay behind … Useful english dictionary
lie behind — (something) to explain or be the reason for something. I wonder what lay behind his decision to quit school … New idioms dictionary
lie behind — phrasal verb [transitive] Word forms lie behind : present tense I/you/we/they lie behind he/she/it lies behind present participle lying behind past tense lay behind past participle lain behind lie behind something to be the real reason for a… … English dictionary
lie behind something — lie behind (something) to explain or be the reason for something. I wonder what lay behind his decision to quit school … New idioms dictionary
lie behind — PHRASAL VERB If you refer to what lies behind a situation or event, you are referring to the reason the situation exists or the event happened. [V P n] It seems that what lay behind the clashes was disagreement over the list of candidates … English dictionary
lie behind something — ˌlie beˈhind sth derived to be the real reason for sth, often hidden • What lay behind this strange outburst? Main entry: ↑liederived … Useful english dictionary
lie — lie1 W1S2 [laı] v past tense lay [leı] past participle lain [leın] present participle lying third person singular lies ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(flat position)¦ 2¦(exist)¦ 3¦(place)¦ 4¦(future)¦ … Dictionary of contemporary English
lie — 1 /laI/ verb present participle lyingpast tense lay, past participle lain /leIn/ 1 FLAT POSITION a) (intransitive always + adv/prep) to be in a position in which your body is flat on the floor, on a bed etc (+ on/in/there etc): He was lying on… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
lie — lie1 [ laı ] (present participle lying [ laııŋ ] ; past tense lay [ leı ] ; past participle lain [ leın ] ) verb intransitive *** ▸ 1 be/put yourself flat ▸ 2 be in place/on surface ▸ 3 in a competition ▸ 4 consist of ▸ 5 be in particular state ▸ … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
lie — I UK [laɪ] / US verb [intransitive] Word forms lie : present tense I/you/we/they lie he/she/it lies present participle lying UK [ˈlaɪɪŋ] / US past tense lay UK [leɪ] / US past participle lain UK [leɪn] / US *** 1) a) to be in a position in which… … English dictionary
behind — I [[t]bɪha͟ɪnd[/t]] PREPOSITION AND ADVERB USES ♦ (In addition to the uses shown below, behind is also used in a few phrasal verbs, such as fall behind and lie behind .) 1) PREP If something is behind a thing or person, it is on the other side of … English dictionary
