From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlie in statelie in stateMXif an important person who has died lies in state, their body is put in a public place so that people can go and look at the body in order to show their respect for that person → lie
Examples from the Corpus
lie in state• He lay on the marble slab in the centre of the tiny oblong chapel like a king lying in state.• He may as well have been lying in state.• Jane was fearful for a moment that Flopsy might be lying in state.• He lay in state, for ever disgraced.• President to lie in state while he was still alive.lie in statelie in stateif the body of an important person who has just died lies in state, it is put in a public place so that people can go and show their respect → stateExamples from the Corpus
lie in state• Jane was fearful for a moment that Flopsy might be lying in state.• He may as well have been lying in state.• He lay in state, for ever disgraced.• He lay on the marble slab in the centre of the tiny oblong chapel like a king lying in state.• President to lie in state while he was still alive. 