as in ambushed
to lie in wait for and attack by surprise
a lonely stretch of highway along which unsuspecting tourists are often waylaid by gangs
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Recent Examples of waylaid
Thousands of passengers and crew were caught on vessels waylaid in ports in the UAE and Qatar.
—
Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 7 Mar. 2026
In season two, the pair head north to Darwin to help solve the murder of Eddie’s former partner but get waylaid investigating a murder in a remote river town of Barra Creek.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 4 Mar. 2026
Tom, who’s aggressive and attempting to rekindle fan interest by being honest and direct, is aiming for the Twins to play competitive baseball games in September, a lofty goal that could be waylaid by a makeshift bullpen.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
The decision came back to haunt the Braves, who were waylaid by injuries and underperformance and ultimately saw their streak of postseason berths end at seven.
—Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 5 Feb. 2026
In addition, the multiple injuries have waylaid his development.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 14 Jan. 2026
They were supposed to come together at the Palm Springs Film Festival earlier this month, but DiCaprio got famously waylaid while traveling back from his Jeff Bezos yacht vacation.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 9 Jan. 2026
Damon takes center stage as Odysseus, the brave and cunning king of Ithaca who gets waylaid for 10 years trying to return home to his loyal wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and dutiful son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), after playing a key role in the Trojan War.
—Oliver Gettell, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Dec. 2025
Google had hoped to void those changes with an appeal, but the ruling issued in July by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a legal blow for the tech giant, which has been waylaid in three separate antitrust trials affecting different pillars of its internet empire.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 7 Mar. 2026
In season two, the pair head north to Darwin to help solve the murder of Eddie’s former partner but get waylaid investigating a murder in a remote river town of Barra Creek.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 4 Mar. 2026
Tom, who’s aggressive and attempting to rekindle fan interest by being honest and direct, is aiming for the Twins to play competitive baseball games in September, a lofty goal that could be waylaid by a makeshift bullpen.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
The decision came back to haunt the Braves, who were waylaid by injuries and underperformance and ultimately saw their streak of postseason berths end at seven.
—Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 5 Feb. 2026
In addition, the multiple injuries have waylaid his development.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 14 Jan. 2026
They were supposed to come together at the Palm Springs Film Festival earlier this month, but DiCaprio got famously waylaid while traveling back from his Jeff Bezos yacht vacation.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 9 Jan. 2026
Damon takes center stage as Odysseus, the brave and cunning king of Ithaca who gets waylaid for 10 years trying to return home to his loyal wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and dutiful son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), after playing a key role in the Trojan War.
—Oliver Gettell, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Dec. 2025
Google had hoped to void those changes with an appeal, but the ruling issued in July by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a legal blow for the tech giant, which has been waylaid in three separate antitrust trials affecting different pillars of its internet empire.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waylaid
Verb
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One morning in 1980, Carl Fletcher, head of one of the richest Jewish families in Long Island and owner of a local plastics factory, is ambushed and kidnapped from his driveway.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
29 Mar. 2026
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In the first inning, when the Tigers both waited out Pivetta and ambushed him, three of his 18 four-seam fastballs were in the strike zone.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Kuwait’s Al Salmi tanker was attacked at the port connected to the United Arab Emirates city better known as a destination for influencers, Reuters and The New York Times reported.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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The Houthis have previously attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea to disrupt the flow of oil, gas and other commodities through the Bab el-Mandeb strait.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waylaid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waylaid. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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