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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Recent Examples of waylay
But underperformance has waylaid each of the last two seasons (159-165 over that period).
—
Levi Weaver, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
On the Padres’ meandering stroll to the postseason, they were almost waylaid again by the walk.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2025
Still, plenty of players have had fast starts to their careers only to be waylaid by health issues or bizarre regressions.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
However, their celebratory moment was waylaid when a bumblebee set its sights on the actress.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for waylay
Levi Weaver, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
On the Padres’ meandering stroll to the postseason, they were almost waylaid again by the walk.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2025
Still, plenty of players have had fast starts to their careers only to be waylaid by health issues or bizarre regressions.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
However, their celebratory moment was waylaid when a bumblebee set its sights on the actress.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for waylay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waylay
Verb
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Kittens ambush one another from behind shrubs.—
John Ruwitch,
NPR,
30 Oct. 2025
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After ambushing Fuller at her mansion, Teddy and his accomplice/cousin Don (Aidan Delbis) knock her unconscious with a tranquilizer and load her into the backseat of her own car.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Vinicius Jr also thrived in the Italian’s counter-attacking tactical setup, which was designed at least in part to suit his pace and direct running, and delivered the club’s two most recent Champions League trophies in 2022 and 2024.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
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The only thing that carries any water is making up something to attack Gretchen.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Waylay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waylay. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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