lip service
noun
: an avowal of advocacy, adherence, or allegiance expressed in words but not backed by deeds
—usually used with pay
Examples of lip service in a Sentence
She paid lip service to blue-collar workers, but she did nothing to help them.
So far all we've gotten from him is lip service.
Recent Examples on the Web
But these voters are still desperately looking for leaders who will support them, not just pay them lip service.
—
Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025
Not lip service or the easy writing of a check to charity, but with his sleeves rolled up, hammer in hand, perched on a ladder – part of a Habitat for Humanity team building affordable housing.
—Eli Amdur, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
True to form for any of our U.S. intelligence operators, Mullins pays fleeting lip service to their more polite justification for engagement: Two Chinese nuclear scientists are en route to Isfahan Nuclear base with information or supplies to enrich and activate Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2024
But the documentary depicts him as hostile to scrutiny by journalists and willing, at best, to pay lip service to threats to reporters.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lip service 
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Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025
Not lip service or the easy writing of a check to charity, but with his sleeves rolled up, hammer in hand, perched on a ladder – part of a Habitat for Humanity team building affordable housing.
—Eli Amdur, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
True to form for any of our U.S. intelligence operators, Mullins pays fleeting lip service to their more polite justification for engagement: Two Chinese nuclear scientists are en route to Isfahan Nuclear base with information or supplies to enrich and activate Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2024
But the documentary depicts him as hostile to scrutiny by journalists and willing, at best, to pay lip service to threats to reporters.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lip service
Dictionary Entries Near lip service
Cite this Entry
“Lip service.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lip%20service. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.
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