1
as in to sneak
to move about in a sly or secret manner we caught a glimpse of someone lurking around the corner

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to hide
to remain out of sight watch out for snakes lurking in the tall grass

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word lurk distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of lurk are skulk, slink, and sneak. While all these words 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

When might skulk be a better fit than lurk?

Although the words skulk and lurk have much in common, skulk suggests more strongly cowardice or fear or sinister intent.

something skulking in the shadows

When is slink a more appropriate choice than lurk?

The words slink and lurk can be used in similar contexts, but slink implies moving stealthily often merely to escape attention.

slunk around the corner

Where would sneak be a reasonable alternative to lurk?

While the synonyms sneak and lurk are close in meaning, sneak may add an implication of entering or leaving a place or evading a difficulty by furtive or underhanded methods.

sneaked out early

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lurk The lurking animal turned out to be a new species. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025 Then, Loftin followed with an RBI single to tie the score 3-3 with the top of the lineup lurking. Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025 Evil people are still lurking in the shadows of our country and this globe, looking to hurt us, looking to threaten our safety and our values. MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025 The early days, weeks and months of a player’s career are not the only times doubts will lurk. Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lurk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurk
Verb
  • Aloe vera sneaks in lightweight hydration, and wheat protein helps strengthen to keep breakage at bay.
    Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Read about a man who has snuck into prestigious events for nearly a decade.
    Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The most notorious, in 1978, saw the late queen hide behind a bush in the gardens of Buckingham Palace to avoid Nicolae Ceaușescu, having already removed anything that the Romanian dictator could steal from his room following a warning from Giscard d'Estaing, the then French president.
    Ian King, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Other newborns were given away by their grandparents who conspired with doctors, priests and nuns to hide a daughter’s socially embarrassing pregnancy.
    Rafael Romo, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • What could have been a transformative meditation on mourning too often slips into surface-level spectacle, leaving the audience to piece together meaning from a scattershot collage of influences.
    David Hochman, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
  • The attempt was tipped and brought in by Locke, who slipped loose into the secondary before taking off for a 64-yard touchdown reception.
    Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The accompanying image of Jîna lying unconscious in a hospital bed, with a swollen face, tubes coming out of her mouth, and dried blood on her ears, went viral.
    Fatemeh Jamalpour, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Compare the look of the Notification Center in iOS 26 and macOS 26—the iOS 26 bubbles really do have the appearance of thin sheets of lightly frosted glass, where the macOS bubbles just give you the vaguest impression of what's lying underneath them.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 15 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lurk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurk. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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