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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of waylaid
United’s on-field underperformance has waylaid their finances for years, so an inversion of that this season has been very helpful.
—
Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 27 May 2026
Barbra Streisand was meant to show up to receive a honorary Palme d’Or, but was waylaid by a knee injury.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 23 May 2026
Ruff said on Sunday after the Sabres waylaid the Bruins 6-1 in Boston.
—ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026
The Padres have gotten promising results from two reclamation projects in Walker Buehler and Germán Márquez, veterans who used to lead pitching staffs before Tommy John surgery waylaid them the past couple seasons.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2026
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
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
Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 27 May 2026
Barbra Streisand was meant to show up to receive a honorary Palme d’Or, but was waylaid by a knee injury.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 23 May 2026
Ruff said on Sunday after the Sabres waylaid the Bruins 6-1 in Boston.
—ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026
The Padres have gotten promising results from two reclamation projects in Walker Buehler and Germán Márquez, veterans who used to lead pitching staffs before Tommy John surgery waylaid them the past couple seasons.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waylaid
Verb
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On July 15, 1992, Alex and Nickell were walking on Wimbledon Common in southwest London when they were ambushed.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
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Three police officers and a civilian were among the latest victims when a gang ambushed them last week.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Three people were killed and 20 more people were attacked by bears across at least nine prefectures between April and June 2, according to public broadcaster NHK.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
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During the Gaza war, the Houthis attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea — including ships with no link to Israel — to pressure Israel into lifting its blockade on the enclave.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waylaid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waylaid. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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