lie in wait
idiom
: to hide and wait for the right moment to make an attack
The killer may have been lying in wait for him.
—sometimes used figurativelyNo one knows what lies in wait for us in the coming year.
Examples of lie in wait in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Trolls could lie in wait in February and the early part of March; these aren’t generally helpful periods in the Universal stars either.
—
Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 16 Jan. 2026
Trolls could lie in wait in February and the early part of March, these aren’t generally helpful periods in the Universal stars, either.
—Hope Hunt, Baltimore Sun, 16 Jan. 2026
By comparison, the eyes and nostrils in modern crocodiles sit higher on the skull, enabling them to lie in wait for prey while keeping most of the body underwater.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
Unlike modern crocodiles, which lie in wait to grab and drown their pray, this beast possessed the kind of build and the dentition for tackling animals head-on and tearing through hide and flesh.
—New Atlas, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lie in wait
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Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 16 Jan. 2026
Trolls could lie in wait in February and the early part of March, these aren’t generally helpful periods in the Universal stars, either.
—Hope Hunt, Baltimore Sun, 16 Jan. 2026
By comparison, the eyes and nostrils in modern crocodiles sit higher on the skull, enabling them to lie in wait for prey while keeping most of the body underwater.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
Unlike modern crocodiles, which lie in wait to grab and drown their pray, this beast possessed the kind of build and the dentition for tackling animals head-on and tearing through hide and flesh.
—New Atlas, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lie in wait
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Cite this Entry
“Lie in wait.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lie%20in%20wait. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
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