"lip service" meaning in English

See lip service in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: En-au-lip service.ogg [Australia]
Etymology: 1640s, compare earlier lip-labour. Etymology templates: {{m|en|lip-labour}} lip-labour Head templates: {{en-noun|-}} lip service (uncountable)
  1. (idiomatic) Promising but empty talk; words without action or intention. Tags: idiomatic, uncountable Translations (Empty talk; words absent of action or intention): 空口 (english: hung¹ hau²) (Chinese Cantonese), 空口 (kōngkǒu) (Chinese Mandarin), lippendienst (Dutch), tyhjä puhe (Finnish), tyhjät sanat [plural] (Finnish), baratin [masculine] (French), boniment [masculine] (French), Lippenbekenntnis [neuter] (German), promessa vuota [feminine] (Italian), adesione di facciata [feminine] (Italian), 口先 (kuchisaki) (Japanese), リップサービス (rippu sābisu) (Japanese), beeal-ghraih [masculine] (Manx), ngutu kau (Maori), tautoko-ā-māngai (Maori), pare-ā-waha (Maori), kai-ā-waha (Maori), tomprat (Norwegian), tomt prat (Norwegian), papo furado [Brazil] (Portuguese), falar da boca para fora (Portuguese), пусты́е слова́ (pustýje slová) [neuter, plural] (Russian), неи́скренние словоизлия́ния (neískrennije slovoizlijánija) [neuter, plural] (Russian), choro [Mexico] (Spanish), rollo [Mexico] (Spanish), labia [feminine] (Spanish), hacer brindis al sol (Spanish), läpparnas bekännelse [common-gender] (Swedish), ngawngaw (Tagalog)
    Sense id: en-lip_service-en-noun-bmPoUxUc Disambiguation of 'Empty talk; words absent of action or intention': 98 2
  2. (slang, vulgar) Cunnilingus (sometimes also referred to as giving lip). Tags: slang, uncountable, vulgar Categories (topical): Talking Synonyms: oral sex, lipservice, lip-service Related terms: eyeservice, lip comfort, lip-deep, lip devotion, lip-labour, lip religion, lip wisdom
    Sense id: en-lip_service-en-noun-u8xZ56et Disambiguation of Talking: 32 68 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 6 94 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 9 91 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 8 92

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for lip service meaning in English (8.0kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "lip-labour"
      },
      "expansion": "lip-labour",
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  "etymology_text": "1640s, compare earlier lip-labour.",
  "head_templates": [
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      "expansion": "lip service (uncountable)",
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The candidate gave lip service to fixing the problems, but it is doubtful that he will do much.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1897, Richard Marsh, The Beetle",
          "text": "Don’t madam me, — I can’t bear none of your lip service. I’m a plain-spoken woman, that’s what I am, and I like other people’s tongues to be as plain as mine.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1995, Alanis Morissette (lyrics and music), “Head over Feet”, in Jagged Little Pill",
          "text": "Your love is thick, and it swallowed me whole / You're so much braver than I gave you credit for / That's not lip service",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2020 November 11, John Eligon, Audra D. S. Burch, “Black Voters Helped Deliver Biden a Presidential Victory. Now What?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN",
          "text": "“OK, let’s see if he’s really being honest about this,” Ms. Neloms, 42, who is Black, recalled thinking. “My prayer is that it’s not just lip service.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Promising but empty talk; words without action or intention."
      ],
      "id": "en-lip_service-en-noun-bmPoUxUc",
      "links": [
        [
          "talk",
          "talk"
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        [
          "word",
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          "action",
          "action"
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          "intention",
          "intention"
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Promising but empty talk; words without action or intention."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "uncountable"
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      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "yue",
          "english": "hung¹ hau²",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "word": "空口"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "kōngkǒu",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "word": "空口"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "word": "lippendienst"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "word": "tyhjä puhe"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "tags": [
            "plural"
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          "word": "tyhjät sanat"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "baratin"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "boniment"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "Lippenbekenntnis"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "promessa vuota"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "adesione di facciata"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "kuchisaki",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "word": "口先"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "rippu sābisu",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "word": "リップサービス"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "gv",
          "lang": "Manx",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "beeal-ghraih"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Maori",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "word": "ngutu kau"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Maori",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "word": "tautoko-ā-māngai"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Maori",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "word": "pare-ā-waha"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Maori",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "word": "kai-ā-waha"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "word": "tomprat"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "word": "tomt prat"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "tags": [
            "Brazil"
          ],
          "word": "papo furado"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "word": "falar da boca para fora"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "pustýje slová",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "tags": [
            "neuter",
            "plural"
          ],
          "word": "пусты́е слова́"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "neískrennije slovoizlijánija",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "tags": [
            "neuter",
            "plural"
          ],
          "word": "неи́скренние словоизлия́ния"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "tags": [
            "Mexico"
          ],
          "word": "choro"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "tags": [
            "Mexico"
          ],
          "word": "rollo"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "labia"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "word": "hacer brindis al sol"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "läpparnas bekännelse"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "tl",
          "lang": "Tagalog",
          "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
          "word": "ngawngaw"
        }
      ]
    },
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      "categories": [
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          "_dis": "6 94",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
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          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "9 91",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 92",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
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          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "32 68",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Talking",
          "orig": "en:Talking",
          "parents": [
            "Human behaviour",
            "Language",
            "Human",
            "Communication",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Jack gave Samantha lip service.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Cunnilingus (sometimes also referred to as giving lip)."
      ],
      "id": "en-lip_service-en-noun-u8xZ56et",
      "links": [
        [
          "Cunnilingus",
          "cunnilingus"
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        [
          "giving lip",
          "give lip"
        ]
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "(slang, vulgar) Cunnilingus (sometimes also referred to as giving lip)."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "eyeservice"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "lip comfort"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "lip-deep"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "lip devotion"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "lip-labour"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "lip religion"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "lip wisdom"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "oral sex"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "lipservice"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "lip-service"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang",
        "uncountable",
        "vulgar"
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    }
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  "sounds": [
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      "audio": "En-au-lip service.ogg",
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      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/En-au-lip_service.ogg",
      "tags": [
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  "word": "lip service"
}
{
  "categories": [
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    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with audio links",
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
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      "word": "eyeservice"
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      "word": "lip comfort"
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      "word": "lip devotion"
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      "word": "lip-labour"
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      "word": "lip religion"
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      "word": "lip wisdom"
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        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
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        {
          "text": "The candidate gave lip service to fixing the problems, but it is doubtful that he will do much.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1897, Richard Marsh, The Beetle",
          "text": "Don’t madam me, — I can’t bear none of your lip service. I’m a plain-spoken woman, that’s what I am, and I like other people’s tongues to be as plain as mine.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1995, Alanis Morissette (lyrics and music), “Head over Feet”, in Jagged Little Pill",
          "text": "Your love is thick, and it swallowed me whole / You're so much braver than I gave you credit for / That's not lip service",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2020 November 11, John Eligon, Audra D. S. Burch, “Black Voters Helped Deliver Biden a Presidential Victory. Now What?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN",
          "text": "“OK, let’s see if he’s really being honest about this,” Ms. Neloms, 42, who is Black, recalled thinking. “My prayer is that it’s not just lip service.”",
          "type": "quotation"
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      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Promising but empty talk; words without action or intention."
      ],
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        "(idiomatic) Promising but empty talk; words without action or intention."
      ],
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        "idiomatic",
        "uncountable"
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          "type": "example"
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      "glosses": [
        "Cunnilingus (sometimes also referred to as giving lip)."
      ],
      "links": [
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          "Cunnilingus",
          "cunnilingus"
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        [
          "giving lip",
          "give lip"
        ]
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "(slang, vulgar) Cunnilingus (sometimes also referred to as giving lip)."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "oral sex"
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      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang",
        "uncountable",
        "vulgar"
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  "sounds": [
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      "audio": "En-au-lip service.ogg",
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      "tags": [
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "lipservice"
    },
    {
      "word": "lip-service"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "english": "hung¹ hau²",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "word": "空口"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "kōngkǒu",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "word": "空口"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "word": "lippendienst"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "word": "tyhjä puhe"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ],
      "word": "tyhjät sanat"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "baratin"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "boniment"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "Lippenbekenntnis"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "promessa vuota"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "adesione di facciata"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "kuchisaki",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "word": "口先"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "rippu sābisu",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "word": "リップサービス"
    },
    {
      "code": "gv",
      "lang": "Manx",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "beeal-ghraih"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Maori",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "word": "ngutu kau"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Maori",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "word": "tautoko-ā-māngai"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Maori",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "word": "pare-ā-waha"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Maori",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "word": "kai-ā-waha"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "word": "tomprat"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "word": "tomt prat"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "tags": [
        "Brazil"
      ],
      "word": "papo furado"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "word": "falar da boca para fora"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "pustýje slová",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "tags": [
        "neuter",
        "plural"
      ],
      "word": "пусты́е слова́"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "neískrennije slovoizlijánija",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "tags": [
        "neuter",
        "plural"
      ],
      "word": "неи́скренние словоизлия́ния"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "tags": [
        "Mexico"
      ],
      "word": "choro"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "tags": [
        "Mexico"
      ],
      "word": "rollo"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "labia"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "word": "hacer brindis al sol"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "läpparnas bekännelse"
    },
    {
      "code": "tl",
      "lang": "Tagalog",
      "sense": "Empty talk; words absent of action or intention",
      "word": "ngawngaw"
    }
  ],
  "word": "lip service"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.