How to Use white lie in a Sentence

white lie

noun
  • His career sprouted from a little white lie and a big black eye.
    — Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
  • Frey chalked the moment up to a white lie and continued with the relationship.
    — Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 27 Dec. 2025
  • Some secrets should be left secret, Morticia believes, but little white lie secrets should be exposed.
    — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The little white lie seems wrong, and does not discourage the gentleman from issuing more unwanted invitations.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2026
  • When Costco asked for a photograph, Ellinger slid into a tattoo parlor chair and turned the little white lie into a permanent reality.
    — Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025
  • When Costco asked for a photograph, Ellinger slid into a tattoo parlor chair and turned the little white lie into a permanent reality.
    — Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 27 June 2026
  • His translator had prepared a white lie to explain his presence — that Gordon was an investor who was looking to buy land and also happened to be interested in the local temples.
    — Matthew Campbell, Bloomberg, 22 May 2026
  • One of Yungblud’s most formative musical memories was the white lie his grandma told him that his estranged grandfather was none other than Rod Stewart.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
  • The two eventually form an intergenerational friendship that’s genuine, even if its foundation is based on a white lie, and you brace for the inevitable moment — not an if, but a when — of Eleanor getting busted.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'white lie.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: