“In lieu of” means instead of, or in place of.
Meaning
“In lieu of” means “instead of” or “in place of.”
Origin
From the Old French “en lieu de” and Latin “locus” meaning place.
Examples
- “In lieu of flowers, please donate to charity.”
- “She accepted a gift card in lieu of cash.”
Pronunciation
“in LOO of”.
Mistake
Don’t confuse it with “in view of.”
Formal
Common in legal and business writing.
Meaning and origin
“In lieu of” means “instead of” or “in place of.” It comes from the Old French phrase “en lieu de” and from Latin “locus” (place), entering English in the 13th century. It is used in formal writing and legal documents.
- Example: “She accepted a bonus in lieu of a raise.”
- Example: “Flowers can be omitted in lieu of donations to charity.”
- It is pronounced “in LOO” (like “loo”) and also heard as “in LYOO.”
Common mistakes
It is often confused with “in view of” (considering) and “in lue of” is misspelled. “In lieu of” differs from “in light of,” which means considering. Use “instead of” in casual writing, since “in lieu of” can sound stiff. It is a preposition phrase, and not interchangeable with “in lieu thereof,” which is a legal form.
Meaning and origin
In lieu of means in place of or instead of. It comes from French en lieu de and Latin locus, meaning place. Example: A donation in lieu of flowers. It is common in legal and formal writing.
Common mistakes
It is often confused with in view of and in lieu is not the same as in lieu with. Do not confuse with lieu for a location. Use in lieu of, not in lue of.
Definition
In lieu of means instead of or in place of. The phrase comes from the French word lieu, meaning place. It is pronounced “in loo of.” It is used in formal and legal writing, for example, a donation in lieu of flowers.
Usage notes
Use in lieu of when one thing replaces another, as in “He took a day off in lieu of overtime pay.” It is not the same as in view of or in light of, which mean considering. A common error is writing “in lue of” or confusing it with “in lieu to.” The phrase takes the object that is the substitute, and it is followed by a noun or gerund. In lieu is also used for payments such as in lieu of taxes (PILOT) from tax exempt property owners to local governments. Synonyms include instead of, as a substitute for and in place of.
Based on data from Merriam-Webster and the Oxford English Dictionary
