lie on the beach

Meaning

To recline or rest horizontally on the sand near the sea, usually to relax, sunbathe, or listen to the waves. It is a classic holiday activity and has a highly relaxing, leisure-oriented connotation.

Examples

• All I want to do this weekend is lie on the beach and read a book.

  All I want to do this weekend is lie on the beach and read a book.

• We spent the entire afternoon lying on the beach under an umbrella.

  We spent the entire afternoon lying on the beach under an umbrella.

• I love to lie on the beach and listen to the sound of the ocean.

  I love to lie on the beach and listen to the sound of the ocean.

• Instead of going sightseeing, they preferred to lie on the beach all day.

  Instead of going sightseeing, they preferred to lie on the beach all day.

• Make sure to wear sunscreen if you plan to lie on the beach for hours.

  Make sure to wear sunscreen if you plan to lie on the beach for hours.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I want to lay on the beach all afternoon.

  ✓ I want to lie on the beach all afternoon.

  'Lie' is an intransitive verb meaning to recline oneself. 'Lay' is transitive and requires a direct object (e.g., 'lay the towel on the beach').

• ✗ We were lying in the beach yesterday.

  ✓ We were lying on the beach yesterday.

  Use the preposition 'on' because you are resting on the surface of the sand, not inside it.

Related Expressions

Practice

• During our vacation, we did nothing but ___.

  💡 recline on the sand

  Show answer

  lie on the beach

• It was too hot to walk around, so we decided to ___.

  💡 relax near the sea

  Show answer

  lie on the beach