# lie at someone's door

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/lie-at-someones-door
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To be the fault or responsibility of someone.

## Examples

- The mistake lies at your door.
- The broken window lies at his door because he was playing with the ball.
- The delay lies at my door since I forgot to send the email.
- The project failed, and the manager knew the blame lay at his door because he ignored the warnings.
- If the team loses the game because you forgot to bring the equipment, the defeat will lie at your door.
- The company's poor reputation lies at the door of the marketing department for releasing such an offensive advertisement.
- Although the whole group worked on the presentation, the errors in the final data lie at her door.
- While the committee searched for a scapegoat, the public remained convinced that the ultimate responsibility for the disaster lay at the door of the director.

## Origin

The idiom is a comparative form of the expression to lay at someone's door. It refers to the attribution of responsibility or blame, existing as a linguistic relative to the active phrasing without recorded historical anecdotes or specific named originators in the available accounts.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.