lurk

verb \ ˈlərk \

Definition of lurk

intransitive verb

1 a :to lie in wait in a place of concealment especially for an evil purpose

someone out there lurking in the shadows

b :to move furtively or inconspicuously

shall I lurk about this country like a thief?
—Henry Fielding

c :to persist in staying

the excitement of the first act still lurking in the air _{Richard Fletcher}

2 a :to be concealed but capable of being discovered; specifically :to constitute a latent threat

What evil lurks in the hearts of men?

b :to lie hidden

Malaria lurked in the marshes.

3 :to read messages on an Internet discussion forum (see forum 1c) (such as a newsgroup or chat room) without contributing

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lurker

noun

See lurk defined for English-language learners

See lurk defined for kids

Examples of lurk in a Sentence

She could tell there was someone out there lurking in the shadows.
we caught a glimpse of someone lurking around the corner

Recent Examples of lurk from the Web

Veteran Courier-Journal reporter Laura Ungar has won a prestigious national environmental award along with a team from the USA TODAY Network for exposing dangers lurking in drinking water.

— beth warren, The Courier-Journal, "Contaminated water series honored: Courier-Journal reporter Laura Ungar among honorees," 17 Aug. 2017
White supremacy has always lurked in America's shadow, said Boyle, whose teaching focuses on the history of racial violence and civil rights.

— claire galofaro, chicagotribune.com, "Experts: Violence the result of political pressure cooker," 13 Aug. 2017
These mammals did not lurk in the shadows of dinosaurs.

— carl zimmer, The Seattle Times, "In the Age of Dinosaurs, mammals took to the skies," 11 Aug. 2017
Race never lurks too far below the surface in the charter school debate.

— shane goldmacher, New York Times, "Comment on Race Reopens New York Democrats’ Split Over Schools," 11 Aug. 2017
Among all that loveliness, however, lurk some villains.

— donna vickroy, Daily Southtown, "Column: Don't let wild parsnip, giant hogweed, poison ivy wreck your summer," 28 July 2017
But there is a revolution and a revelation lurking in these childlike elements—a demonstration that the immaterial stuff of time can be evoked through the most material of forms.

— The Economist, "Alexander Calder made time a sculptural medium," 22 July 2017
Darktrace uses machine learning technology and analyzes patterns of network traffic to track threats lurking on corporate networks.

— robert hackett, Fortune, "Exclusive: Cybersecurity Startup Darktrace Worth $825 Million After New Funding," 10 July 2017
Lurking behind this argument, of course, is the notion that some people—most of them poor, many of them black or Hispanic—are not worth saving.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "You Are Now Free to Have No Health Insurance," 7 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lurk.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of lurk

Middle English; akin to Middle High German lūren to lie in wait — more at lower

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

lurk Synonyms

Synonyms

sneak, mooch, mouse, pussyfoot, shirk, skulk, slide, slink, slip, snake, steal

Antonyms

appear

Related Words

crawl, creep, edge, inch, worm; ghost, pad, tiptoe

Near Antonyms

come out, materialize, show up, turn up

Synonym Discussion of lurk

lurk, skulk, slink, sneak mean to behave so as to escape attention. lurk implies a lying in wait in a place of concealment and often suggests an evil intent.

- suspicious men lurking in alleyways

skulk suggests more strongly cowardice or fear or sinister intent.

- something skulking in the shadows

slink implies moving stealthily often merely to escape attention.

- slunk around the corner

sneak may add an implication of entering or leaving a place or evading a difficulty by furtive or underhanded methods.

- sneaked out early

LURK Defined for English Language Learners

lurk

verb

Definition of lurk for English Language Learners

: to be in a hidden place : to wait in a secret or hidden place especially in order to do something wrong or harmful
computers : to read messages written by other people on the Internet in a newsgroup, chat room, etc., without writing any messages yourself