lurking

verb

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 lurking Audiences embraced the films for their creeping realism and slow-building scares, which transformed ordinary bedrooms, hallways and home security cameras into places where something terrifying might be lurking just outside the frame. — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026 Filmmaker Bennie Safdie was also seen lurking at the shows with a camera. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026 The film, which co-stars Michelle Monaghan and Michael Keaton, taps into primal fears of the unknown and danger lurking in our own backyards. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026 There are supermassive black holes lurking in the center of almost every large galaxy, scientists have found. — Adithi Ramakrishnan, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026 The steering could communicate more, and the vehicle's substantial mass is always lurking somewhere underneath the otherwise impressive dynamics. — New Atlas, 22 Aug. 2026 What strikes him is that the app users aren't always strangers lurking in the dark corners of the web. — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 The idea lurking in the shadows is that rather than just individual characters, actual story arcs from the long saga of the beloved Clone Wars series could be remade or adapted into live-action. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026 The par-3 sixth hole and the long par-3 16th hole will be key to watch, with big numbers lurking. — Dennis Esser, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurking
  1. sneaking
  2. hiding
  3. slipping
  4. lying
  5. sliding
Verb
  • Pinch-hitter Eli White followed by sneaking a soft line drive up the middle to drive in Durbin, cutting the Giants’ lead to 2-1.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • While the hot-cold cycles didn’t completely erase the tension of being confined in a car with my kids, sneaking away to the adults-only mineral pools — one enriched with magnesium, another with potassium — was a nice reset.
    — Jamie Siebrase, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of sneaking
Verb
  • Rather than hiding from the toughest challenges, Hill confronted them head-on despite knowingly taking on some short-term pain and cost.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026
  • With that $140, York bought himself a lifetime of punchlines at his expense and, presumably, years of hiding from the spotlight.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of hiding
Verb
  • Vaccination rates have been slipping since the 2019–2020 school year, when the US had obtained rates of around 95 percent, the threshold needed to keep outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases from spreading in communities.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 17 Aug. 2026
  • By the time a slipping receivable or a bloated inventory line shows up in that review, weeks of cash have already been lost.
    — Nick Chandi, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of slipping
Verb
  • Palmer, showing for the ball, is a deep-lying ‘No 6’ temporarily, and right centre-back Josh Acheampong provides the width.
    — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The young Moroccan caught the eye at the World Cup and certainly has the potential to become one of the best deep-lying midfielders in the game.
    — Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of lying
Verb
  • Defender Kevin O'Toole poked the ball away, but Mboma Dem put away a sliding first-touch shot that opened the scoring in the 11th minute.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • This prevents them from sliding around under the sock or slipping out completely during play.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of sliding

Browse Nearby Words

lurkers
lurking
lurks
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lurking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurking. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of devolve

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All