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white lie

noun

a minor, polite, or harmless lie; fib.

white lie

noun

a minor or unimportant lie, esp one uttered in the interests of tact or politeness

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Idioms and Phrases

An untruth told to spare feelings or from politeness, as in She asked if I liked her dress, and of course I told a white lie . This term uses white in the sense of “harmless.” [First half of 1700s]

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Michael has been unable to resist telling a little white lie over the years that he is related to Darren and his famous father, Sir Alex of Manchester United fame.

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He's previously claimed the track was inspired by a sunset in Malibu, but it turns out that that's a little white lie.

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“These prosecutors bought Grace’s white lies, her big lies and all her pretty little lies,” said Chaudry during her closing statement.

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But Chaudhry said her client was the victim of “white lies, big lies, and pretty little lies” invented by Jabbari to exact revenge on an unfaithful partner.

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She added, “These prosecutors bought Grace’s white lies, her big lies and all her pretty little lies,” she said.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

white lias white light

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