white lie vs lie

white lie and lie both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
white lie	Yes	No	No	No
lie	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, lie is a hypernym of white lie; that is, lie is a word with a broader meaning than white lie:

Other hypernyms of white lie include prevarication.

white lie (noun)	lie (noun)
an unimportant lie (especially one told to be tactful or polite)	a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth
	position or manner in which something is situated

white lie (verb)	lie (verb)
	tell an untruth; pretend with intent to deceive
	be lying, be prostrate; be in a horizontal position
	assume a reclining position
	be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
	originate (in)
	have a place in relation to something else
	be and remain in a particular state or condition