Word.ws English Dictionary

lying in state

lying in state is the present participle and gerund of lie in state.

Meaning of lie in state

Verb

lie in state (third-person singular simple present lies in state, present participle lying in state, simple past lay in state, past participle lain in state)

  1. (intransitive, such as a head of state) To be ceremonially placed in a state building after death to allow the public to pay their respects, often followed by a state funeral.
    • The body of the King was then taken to Westminster Hall to lie in state for three days.1952 April, “The Passing of King George VI”, in Railway Magazine, page 233

Questions about lying in state

What is lying in state the present participle and gerund of?
Lying in state is the present participle and gerund of lie in state.

Words near lying in state in the dictionary

  1. lying in
  2. lying in ambush
  3. lying in honor
  4. lying in one's throat
  5. lying in repose
  6. lying in state
  7. lying in the bed one has made
  8. lying in the way
  9. lying in wait
  10. lying like a cheap rug
  11. lying like a cheap watch

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: lying in state (page history and authors); lie in state (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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