as in to ambush
to lie in wait for and attack by surprise
a lonely stretch of highway along which unsuspecting tourists are often waylaid by gangs
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of waylay
McDonald had grown up attending church services, but decades of addiction and abuse had waylaid her.
—
Jillian Steinhauer, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025
Waters is supportive of the new film and had every intention of seeing it opening weekend, but was waylaid by his busy schedule.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 15 Aug. 2025
However, their celebratory moment was waylaid when a bumblebee set its sights on the actress.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Traditions are waylaid, revised, or simply forgotten in assimilation’s slow creep.
—Terry Nguyen
july 23, Literary Hub, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for waylay
Jillian Steinhauer, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025
Waters is supportive of the new film and had every intention of seeing it opening weekend, but was waylaid by his busy schedule.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 15 Aug. 2025
However, their celebratory moment was waylaid when a bumblebee set its sights on the actress.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Traditions are waylaid, revised, or simply forgotten in assimilation’s slow creep.
—Terry Nguyen
july 23, Literary Hub, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for waylay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waylay
Verb
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Victims of the inmates include a family of four, a college student kidnapped from her bedroom, and a state trooper who was ambushed in his driveway.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
13 Oct. 2025
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Last month, three officers were killed when they were ambushed while responding to a domestic call in York County, Pennsylvania.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And if Klopp felt the benefits of turning throw-ins into choreographed events, complete with long build-ups, would be outweighed in Liverpool’s case by a loss of attacking impetus, is there not something to be said for that?—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Officers found people trying to attack police cruisers with fireworks, cones, poles and other items.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Waylay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waylay. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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