Word
lieu
US/ˈɫju/
UK/lˈuː/
Definition
n. the place or position of something else — used in the phrase 'in lieu of' to mean 'instead of'.
n. the place or stead of something else; functions as the head of the prepositional phrase 'in lieu of'.
Examples
“They gave us extra holiday in lieu of pay.”
“The company offered the employees stock options in lieu of a traditional cash bonus this year.”
“The architect suggested using recycled timber in lieu of concrete to reduce the building's carbon footprint while maintaining a warm, organic aesthetic.”
Examples
simple
“They gave us extra holiday in lieu of pay.”
contextual
“The company offered the employees stock options in lieu of a traditional cash bonus this year.”
complex
“The architect suggested using recycled timber in lieu of concrete to reduce the building's carbon footprint while maintaining a warm, organic aesthetic.”
Usage
Almost exclusively used in the fixed phrase 'in lieu of'.
Teaching tip
Learners should treat 'in lieu of' as a single unit meaning 'instead of'. It is very common in business English regarding 'time in lieu' (extra time off instead of pay).
Pitfall
He received a bonus in lieu for his overtime.
He received a bonus in lieu of his overtime.
The word 'lieu' is almost always followed by the preposition 'of'.
Real-World Examples
“He is also, having been educated in England in the 1970s, a Python superfan, possibly because it gave him a sense of humour to borrow in lieu of possessing his own.” “I bought the daisies in lieu of milk.” “Illustration: Replicant D6 In lieu of any high-budget flash, Agent 64’s big special effect is nostalgia.” Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French lieu, from Old French leu, from Latin locum, accusative of locus (“place”). Doublet of locus. Attested earlier and in Middle English only as part of the partially calqued phrase in lieu of.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/lieu