they were lied

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "they were lied" is not correct in English.
Did you mean "they were lied to"? You can use the corrected phrase when indicating that someone has been deceived or misled by someone else. Example: "After discovering the truth, they realized they were lied to about the situation."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Wiki

Opinion Pieces

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

31 human-written examples

Re "Are Clinton's Aides So Innocent?" (letter, Sept. 22): Even if President Clinton's aides were gullible dupes who were lied to, believed the lies and repeated them, they now know that they were lied to.

The New York Times

They were lied to.

The Guardian

"Now the people realize that they were lied to".

The New York Times

Others too will find how badly they were lied to.

The Guardian - Opinion

They were lied on because they were minorities.

The New York Times

Congress is very upset with Clemens, because they felt they were lied to.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

29 human-written examples

"This is about how young people can trust politics, when people can retroactively change a contract, if they are lied to in contract?

The Guardian - Money

When they're lied about constantly, it hurts the faith and confidence of the American people in them, and that is bad for all of us".

Huffington Post

They're Lying.

HuffPost

They were: LY (light yellow) for the youngest individuals, LB (light brown), DB (dark brown) and B (black) for the oldest individuals.

BMC Evolutionary Biology

"They [the PCC] were lied to by News International and they should pay a commercial penalty for that," said MacKenzie.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use the correct passive construction "they were lied to" to ensure grammatical accuracy when indicating that someone was deceived.

Common error

Avoid omitting the preposition "to" when using the passive voice to describe being lied to. The correct form is "they were lied to", not "they were lied".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "they were lied" functions as a passive construction, but it is grammatically incomplete. Ludwig AI indicates the correct passive form requires the preposition 'to' (they were lied to). Thus, its primary function is to attempt to express that the subjects experienced deception.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Wiki

8%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Science

2%

Social Media

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "they were lied" aims to express that a group of individuals was deceived, but is grammatically incorrect. As Ludwig AI highlights, the correct form is "they were lied to". Although relatively common in news and opinion contexts, particularly in informal speech, it's recommended to use grammatically correct alternatives like "they were "they were deceived"" or "they were "they were misled"" in formal writing. Remember to prioritize accuracy to ensure clear communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

they were lied to

Adds the preposition "to" to create a grammatically correct passive construction indicating someone performed the act of lying.

they were deceived

Uses the verb "deceived", which directly implies the act of being intentionally misled.

they were misled

Employs "misled", suggesting that they were guided in the wrong direction by false information.

they were given false information

Specifies the type of deception as false information being provided.

they were victims of deception

Positions the subjects as victims, highlighting the negative impact of the deceit.

they were told a lie

Rephrases the sentence to emphasize the act of telling a lie directly to the subjects.

they received misinformation

Focuses on the receipt of incorrect or misleading information.

they were manipulated

Emphasizes the control aspect of being deceived, indicating influence through dishonest means.

they were fooled

Uses a more informal term to indicate that they were tricked.

they were hoodwinked

Uses an even more informal term than "fooled", implying a clever deception.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say someone was deceived?

The grammatically correct way to express that someone was deceived is to say "they were "they were lied to"", "they were "they were deceived"", or "they were "they were misled"".

Is "they were lied" grammatically correct?

No, "they were lied" is not grammatically correct in standard English. The correct phrasing is "they were "they were lied to"".

What are some alternatives to saying "they were lied to"?

Alternatives to "they were "they were lied to"" include "they were "they were deceived"", "they were "they were misled"", or "they were given false information".

How does using "they were lied to" change the meaning compared to "they lied"?

The phrase "they lied" means that they actively told a lie. Conversely, "they were "they were lied to"" means someone else told them a lie, making them the recipient of the deceit.