LIP SERVICE Definition & Meaning

View synonyms for

lip service

noun

insincere expression of friendship, admiration, support, etc.; service by words only.
He paid only lip service to the dictator.

lip service

noun

insincere support or respect expressed but not put into practice

lip service

Insincere agreement; to “pay lip service” is to consent in one's words while dissenting in one's heart: “The boss's support of affirmative action was merely paying lip service; he never committed himself to it in any substantial way.”

Discover More

Other 51�Թ� Forms

lip server noun

Discover More

51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of lip service¹

First recorded in 1635–45

Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

Verbal but insincere expression of agreement or support. It is often put as, as in They paid lip service to holding an election next year, but they had no intention of doing so. [Mid-1600s]

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Speaking ahead of a meeting of EU ministers on Tuesday, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Russia's continued attacks "speak louder than the lip service we have heard for so long".

From

You’ll often hear contemporary Democrats give lip service to framing issues in terns of values, and some certainly do so.

From

While the academies’ peer institutions have been criticized by Trump administration officials for giving lip service to the free flow of ideas and information, none have been subjected to such blatant censorship—not yet.

From

One of the local TV news reports summed up a theme of the demonstration this way: “Democratic Party has been paying lip service to the working class.”

From

And we have to make sure the best practices that we have in place aren’t just lip service,” she said.

From

Lipscomb lipstick

Browse