as in to ambush
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of waylay
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
However, their celebratory moment was waylaid when a bumblebee set its sights on the actress.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for waylay
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
However, their celebratory moment was waylaid when a bumblebee set its sights on the actress.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for waylay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waylay
Verb
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And after a Washington woman was repeatedly ambushed by an owl while walking in the woods near her house in 2022, biologists report that the occurrence is becoming more frequent.—
Owen Clarke,
Outside,
3 Nov. 2025
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Over the past two months, JNIM has stepped up attacks on fuel supplies, ambushing tankers on the roads from Ivory Coast and Senegal.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In October alone, shoppers were attacked in a supermarket, a Spanish tourist was scratched by a cub at a heritage site, and a trail runner was forced to wrestle a bear in the woods before sprinting to safety.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles into Israel in response and attacked the Middle East's largest American military base in Qatar.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Waylay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waylay. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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