belie
verb /bɪˈlaɪ/
/bɪˈlaɪ/
(formal)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they belie | /bɪˈlaɪ/ /bɪˈlaɪ/ |
| he / she / it belies | /bɪˈlaɪz/ /bɪˈlaɪz/ |
| past simple belied | /bɪˈlaɪd/ /bɪˈlaɪd/ |
| past participle belied | /bɪˈlaɪd/ /bɪˈlaɪd/ |
| -ing form belying | /bɪˈlaɪɪŋ/ /bɪˈlaɪɪŋ/ |
- belie something to give a false impression of somebody/something
- Her energy and youthful good looks belie her 65 years.
- belie something to show that something cannot be true or correct
- Government claims that there is no poverty are belied by the number of homeless people on the streets.
Word OriginOld English belēogan ‘deceive by lying’, from be- ‘about’ + lēogan ‘to lie’. Current senses date from the 17th cent.