Thesaurus results for WAYLAY

waylay

verb

ˈwā-ˌlā

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of waylay 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 See All Example Sentences for waylay

Recent Examples of Synonyms for waylay

Verb

Tovar ambushed Kilian’s first offering, pulling a two-run homer over the left-field fence to hand the Giants their fourth straight loss.

— Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 30 May 2026
Betts ambushed a belt-high four-seamer into the first row of seats in the left-center bleachers.

— Katie Woo, New York Times, 27 May 2026