LURKING Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

lurking

verb

present participle of lurk

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

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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 The most profitable service targets authors lurking outside the notoriously gatekept realm of traditional publishing. — Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 13 Oct. 2026 However, the modern versions that are packed with high explosives and sit lurking under the dirt to blow up unwary vehicles or pedestrians are much nastier affairs. — New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2026 There’s not a dark shadow with a monster lurking in it to be found anywhere in the film. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026 As two formidable women go head-to-head, their battle for the soul of Longview exposes the secrets, resentments, and desires lurking beneath its picture-perfect surface. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2026 That dream came to a screeching halt six years ago, when a sinkhole tore open that revealed an old mine lurking under Hideaway Hills -- forcing more than a dozen families to flee. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026 Flanagan’s customary whip pans are here to surprise us with characters lurking outside the frame, but this isn’t a story with many external supernatural threats, and tension doesn’t build. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026 But that didn’t take into account a bug lurking in the cars’ software. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026 The friend credited the scan with saving his life, and my mom, suddenly worried at what could be lurking in their own bodies, made an appointment and forced my dad to come with her. — Trisha Thadani Kirsten Potter Tanya Pérez Devin Murphy, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurking

Verb

At 15, Mariana de Miguel was already sneaking into Mexico City’s nightlife with a fake ID, saving money to see the bands that shaped her imagination.

— Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2026
Imagine sneaking into a math library and combing through every mathematical text ever written.

— Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of sneaking

Verb

The third suspect acknowledged receiving the paintings at his home and hiding them behind a wall built beneath a staircase after the theft.

— SYLVIE CORBET, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
The series brings 10 strangers together in an institutional setting for seven days, with each person trying to guess the true occupations of the others while hiding their own identities.

— Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of hiding

Verb

But a few months later, at her 18-month appointment, the standard graph that plotted a child’s weight against their age showed her weight slipping off the curve.

— Raj Panjabi, Time, 13 Oct. 2026
If one hook isn’t enough to keep the bag from slipping, place another one on the opposite side.

— Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of slipping

Verb

As for the lows, sweater weather will officially arrive for Charlotte, with lows near 40 degrees this weekend, and a chance for patchy frost for out-lying areas, forecasters say.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026
The fight was now about accusations of lying, whether the item was for sale, and what actually happened in the store.

— Bilin Lin, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of lying

Verb

With primary colors and winter gear Wondering how to avoid sliding across the sidewalk or catching a cold and still stay fashionable in extreme weather conditions?

— Catie Pusateri, Glamour, 12 Oct. 2026
The rooms Every single one of the 75 rooms is ocean-facing, with floor to ceiling sliding glass doors framing the view, and leading to private terraces perched above the mangroves.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of sliding

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lurkers

lurking

lurks

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“Lurking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurking. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of lurking

verb

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