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Meaning of "white lie" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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PRONUNCIATION OF WHITE LIE

white lie play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF WHITE LIE

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
White lie is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES WHITE LIE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

white lie

Lie

A lie is a false statement to a person or group made by another person or group who knows it is not the whole truth, intentionally. Lies can be told for various reasons and with various amounts of success.

Definition of white lie in the English dictionary

The definition of white lie in the dictionary is a minor or unimportant lie, esp one uttered in the interests of tact or politeness.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE WHITE LIE

white horehound
white horse
White House
white knight
white lady
white lead
white lead ore
white leather
white leg
white lias
white light
white line
white list
white lotus
white magic
White man´s burden
white matter
white meat
white metal
white meter

WORDS THAT END LIKE WHITE LIE

Baillie
Border collie
charlie
collie
folie
ghillie
girlie
goalie
Jolie
kylie
let sleeping dogs lie
lie
millie
nellie
ollie
overlie
rough collie
underlie
wheelie
willie

Synonyms and antonyms of white lie in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «white lie» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF WHITE LIE

Find out the translation of white lie to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of white lie from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «white lie» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

善意的谎言
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

mentira blanca
570 millions of speakers

English

white lie
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

सफेद झूठ
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

كذبة بيضاء
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

ложь
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

mentirinha
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

সামান্য মিথ্যা
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

pieux mensonge
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Pembohongan putih
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Notlüge
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

罪のないうそ
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

선의의 거짓말
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Goroh putih
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

lời nói dối trắng
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

வெள்ளை பொய்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

पांढरा खोटे
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Beyaz yalan
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

bugia
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

białe kłamstwo
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

брехня
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

minciună albă
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

λευκό ψέμα
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

wit leuen
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

vit lögn
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

hvit løgn
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of white lie

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «WHITE LIE»

The term «white lie» is regularly used and occupies the 99.801 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
54
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «white lie» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of white lie
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «white lie».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «WHITE LIE» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «white lie» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «white lie» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about white lie

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «WHITE LIE»

Discover the use of white lie in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to white lie and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Big White Lie: Chinese Australians in White Australia
Shifts understanding of the White Australia Policy--and indeed White Australia--by exploring what Chinese Australians were saying and doing at a time when they were officially excluded.
John Fitzgerald, 2007
2
Black Crow White Lie
Carson Calley grew up living in Hollywood motels with his fortune-telling mother, who is full of stories about their former lives together and prophesies about his future.
Candi Sary, 2012
3
Wicca: Satan's Little White Lie
Here is the fascinating personal testimony of a man who stepped into this Satanic trap, and the thrilling account of how Jesus Christ rescued him.
William Schnoebelen, 2011
4
Her Little White Lie
DANTE ROMANI'S SHOCK ENGAGEMENT TO EMPLOYEE! Paige Harper can't believe her little white lie has made the headlines. The only way to secure the adoption of her best-friend's daughter was to fake an engagement with her boss.
Maisey Yates, 2014
5
White Lie
Without realising the consequences of their adventure, Dr. Danielle Parker and Dr. Gabby Standford are sent back to the first century, where they discover the amazing story of Oshu, the real Jesus.
Jeanne D'Aout, 2011
6
The Great White Lie: Dishonesty, Waste, and Incompetence in ...
A journalist offers a frightening portrayal of American hospitals, revealing tales of critical nursing shortages, botched surgeries, false billings, forced labor, bureaucratic incompetence, and inadequate care
Walt Bogdanich, 1992
7
The Big White Lie
In The Big White Lie, Michael Levine, former DEA agent and bestselling author of Deep Cover, leads the reader through a decade of undercover work. Levine's prose is fast-moving, highly readable, and hard-hitting.
Michael Levine, 2012
8
Miss LaVigne's Little White Lie
In order to save her brother from the asylum and to escape her devious fiancâe, Lisette Lavigne offers to pay Captain Daniel Hillary any price for safe passage on his ship--a bargain that he is very willing to agree to.
Samantha Grace, 2012
9
Little White Lie
Emie Jaramillo learned long ago that brains count more than beauty, and that’s just fine with her.
Lea Santos, 2010
10
Limburger's Little White Lie: A Story about Telling the Truth
In this book, the Cheeses for Jesus and Charity Churchmouse disagree over the dinner menu. Limburger plots a plan to get his way and then tells Charity a little white lie that ends up making a big mess.
Ken Gire, 1987

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «WHITE LIE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term white lie is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Critical Conversations: Rachel Dolezal's little black lie and the ethics …
However, this very thing happened to filmmaker Lacey Schwartz, and she is telling her remarkable story in a documentary titled “Little White Lie,” which is ... «Communities Digital News, Jun 15»
2
We all lie (And it's contagious!)
We all tell white lies. In fact, when I give talks, from time to time people come up to me and say, "Oh, I'm unable to lie." Or, "My kid is unable to lie." And so far, 100 ... «CNBC, May 15»
3
10 White Lies We All Tell, And Just In Time For National Honesty Day
It's a tiny white lie, so what's the harm? Well maybe on a normal day, but April 30 is National Honesty Day. And all lies in those 24 hours are considered ... «Huffington Post, Apr 15»
4
Little White Lie
Filmmaker Lacey Schwartz grew up in a typical upper middle class Jewish household in Woodstock, NY. Despite the questions about how she as a white girl ... «PBS, Mar 15»
5
'Little White Lie' review: A filmmaker explores her secret black heritage
THE DOCUMENTARY "Little White Lie" airing on "Independent Lens" ... been "overlooking": That the little girl from the nice white family in Woodstock was black. «Newsday, Mar 15»
6
'Little White Lies' Review: The End of Deception
“Little White Lie” is a special kind of family drama, both a complaint and an indictment, a justice film of sorts. It concerns race (the filmmaker's biological father ... «Wall Street Journal, Mar 15»
7
Movie Review: 'Little White Lie,' a documentary examining racial …
“Little White Lie” is a first-person documentary about a woman from “a long line of New York Jews” who discovers that her dark complexion (a source of ... «Memphis Commercial Appeal, Mar 15»
8
A Filmmaker Discovers Her Biracial Identity in 'Little White Lie'
I actually grew up believing I was white,” Schwartz says in her recent film, Little White Lie, over footage of family gatherings, childhood pictures, and her own ... «Voice of America, Feb 15»
9
Denver Jewish Film Festival Preview: "Little White Lie"
Or at least that seems to be one of the messages of Little White Lie, a 2014 documentary written and directed by filmmaker Lacey Schwartz. The documentary ... «5280 | The Denver Magazine, Feb 15»
10
Jewish girl overcomes a 'Little White Lie' about race
A mixed little girl sits happily in her white mama's lap. ... Now 37, she explores that in “Little White Lie,” a documentary about identity, family, denial and honesty. «Kansas City Star, Jan 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. White lie [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/white-lie>. Apr 2024 ».
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