Definition

Noun A position, role, or function that is typically or properly held or performed by someone or something else. It is almost exclusively used in the fixed prepositional phrase "in lieu of."

Usage

The word "lieu" is a formal term that is never used alone in modern English. It is only used within the phrase "in lieu of," which functions as a preposition meaning "instead of" or "in place of."

Examples

• The company offered extra vacation days in lieu of a cash bonus this year.
• He submitted a written statement in lieu of appearing in court.
• We accepted a store credit in lieu of a refund for the damaged item.

Advanced Usage

• Legal and Formal Contexts: The phrase "in lieu of" is common in legal, contractual, and formal business writing to specify a substitution.
  • The payment shall be made in shares in lieu of cash.
• "In Lieu Thereof": An even more formal, chiefly legal variant meaning "instead of that" or "in place of it."
  • The defendant may pay a fine or, in lieu thereof, serve community service.

Variants and Related Words

• "In lieu of" (prepositional phrase): Instead of; in place of.
• Stead (noun): A literary synonym for "place," also used in the phrase "in someone's stead."
  • She served as captain in his stead.

Synonyms

• Place (as in "in place of")
• Stead (as in "in his stead")
• Substitution

Notes on Meaning

The core meaning of "lieu" itself is "place" (from French). However, in English, this meaning is obsolete outside of the fixed phrase "in lieu of." Do not confuse it with the verb "lie" (to recline) or "lie" (to tell an untruth).

Noun

1. the post or function properly or customarily occupied or served by another
   • can you go in my stead?
   • took his place
   • in lieu of