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
But underperformance has waylaid each of the last two seasons (159-165 over that period).
—
Levi Weaver, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
On the Padres’ meandering stroll to the postseason, they were almost waylaid again by the walk.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2025
Still, plenty of players have had fast starts to their careers only to be waylaid by health issues or bizarre regressions.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
McDonald had grown up attending church services, but decades of addiction and abuse had waylaid her.
—Jillian Steinhauer, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025
However, their celebratory moment was waylaid when a bumblebee set its sights on the actress.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Levi Weaver, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
On the Padres’ meandering stroll to the postseason, they were almost waylaid again by the walk.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2025
Still, plenty of players have had fast starts to their careers only to be waylaid by health issues or bizarre regressions.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
McDonald had grown up attending church services, but decades of addiction and abuse had waylaid her.
—Jillian Steinhauer, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025
However, their celebratory moment was waylaid when a bumblebee set its sights on the actress.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waylaid
Verb
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Last month, three officers were killed when they were ambushed while responding to a domestic call in York County, Pennsylvania.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
9 Oct. 2025
-
In September 1986, Pinochet’s motorcade was ambushed and five soldiers were killed and many others injured.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Late Saturday and early Sunday, Russia attacked Ukraine’s power grid in an aim to degrade Ukrainian energy infrastructure ahead of winter.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
12 Oct. 2025
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In August 2023, he was attacked by three fellow inmates, sustaining neck injuries that required medical treatment.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Waylaid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waylaid. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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