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
Then again, Joel also waylaid band members (like drummer Liberty DeVitto, still somewhat embittered about the way he was cast aside during the making of River of Dreams) and loyal producer, Phil Ramone, after deciding to move on from them later in his life.
—
David Browne, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2025
The first phase of Azura went quietly online in 2020, its grand opening waylaid by the pandemic.
—Hannah Walhout, Travel + Leisure, 28 June 2025
During the years following the mail bomb threat, Harold had also begun an intensive self-defence training regimen partly as a way of waylaying his debilitating state of constant paranoia.
—Hazlitt, 18 June 2025
It’s further waylaid by the burgeoning Black Lives Matter protests in town.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for waylay
David Browne, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2025
The first phase of Azura went quietly online in 2020, its grand opening waylaid by the pandemic.
—Hannah Walhout, Travel + Leisure, 28 June 2025
During the years following the mail bomb threat, Harold had also begun an intensive self-defence training regimen partly as a way of waylaying his debilitating state of constant paranoia.
—Hazlitt, 18 June 2025
It’s further waylaid by the burgeoning Black Lives Matter protests in town.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for waylay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waylay
Verb
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For nearly six decades, the public believed Buford and his wife were ambushed while responding to a disturbance.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
30 Aug. 2025
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The president has constantly mocked Powell on social media, and accused him of mismanaging renovations of the Fed’s headquarters, even ambushing the Fed chief with a new cost estimate for a facility renovation in front of rolling television cameras.—
Tobias Burns,
The Hill,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Mastantuono, 18, has the characteristics to contribute from a deeper position, but his signing was intended for more attacking areas, as is being seen.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
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An elderly Arkansas man is in the hospital after a black bear attacked him in Franklin County on Wednesday.—
Kris Millgate,
Outdoor Life,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Waylay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waylay. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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