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
Now Picard is zipping around the cosmos again, The Lord of the Rings is waylaid with prequels and spin-offs, and somehow, Palpatine returned.
—
Matthew Razak, Space.com, 13 Apr. 2026
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
Matthew Razak, Space.com, 13 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waylaid
Verb
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Then in Brookhaven, a homeless man was ambushed and shot several times while sleeping outside a shopping center on Peachtree Road.—
Landon Mion , Bill Melugin,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The Twins ambushed Crochet with four runs in the first inning, then knocked out Boston's ace lefty with a seven-run second.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Police on Friday closed Kensington Gardens, a central London park visited by thousands of tourists and local residents every day, after a group that Israel has linked to Iran posted a video claiming Israel’s nearby London embassy was going to be attacked with drones carrying dangerous substances.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
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The rabbi of Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, northwest London, which was attacked by arsonists over the weekend, took to social media on Sunday to show members of his congregation gathering in his home to pray.—
Lianne Kolirin,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waylaid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waylaid. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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