lieu

noun

archaic
Phrases
in lieu in lieu of
: in the place of : instead of

Did you know?

Lieu vs. Loo vs. Lue

Due to its unusual Francophonic spelling, many people misspell lieu (which appears most often in the phrase in lieu of) as loo or lue. We even have evidence for people assuming the phrase is inlu of. It is, in fact, in lieu of. Lieu as a standalone noun means “place” and it’s now archaic. You can remember the spelling of lieu by using the mnemonic “lieu in everyday use.”

Examples of lieu in a Sentence

I have decided that in lieu of a going-away shower, those who wish to go in on a nice gift for her can see me after church. Garrison Keillor, Leaving Home, 1989
Many of those pigs live here. Do they ever wonder why their masters walk upright in lieu of going on all-fours? Charles Dickens, American Notes for General Circulation, 1842
But when she read, and re-read with the closest attention, the particulars immediately following of Wickham's resigning all pretensions to the living, of his receiving, in lieu, so considerable a sum as three thousand pounds, again was she forced to hesitate. Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, 1813
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fisher's letter also asks Trump to toss out Biden administration adjustments to the price transparency requirements that allow hospitals to post percentages and algorithms in lieu of specific prices. Maya Goldman, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024 Now, Valdez-Rosales is in Santa Rita Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail, and is next due in court on Nov. 21 to enter a plea. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024 In lieu of flowers, and to honor Husted’s love of dogs, his family asked that any donations be made to Safe Harbor Lab Rescue (safeharborlabrescue.org). John Wenzel, The Denver Post, 13 Nov. 2024 In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Committee to Protect Journalists, [email protected], Knight Foundation Press Freedom Center, P.O. Box 2675, New York, New York 10108 or Soapbox Cincinnati, https://www.soapboxmedia.com/. Jennie Key, The Enquirer, 7 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lieu 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English liue, from Anglo-French liu, lieu, from Latin locus — more at stall

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lieu was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near lieu

Cite this Entry

“Lieu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lieu. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

lieu

noun

More from Merriam-Webster on lieu

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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