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 They were supposed to come together at the Palm Springs Film Festival earlier this month, but DiCaprio got famously waylaid while traveling back from his Jeff Bezos yacht vacation. —

Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 9 Jan. 2026 Damon takes center stage as Odysseus, the brave and cunning king of Ithaca who gets waylaid for 10 years trying to return home to his loyal wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and dutiful son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), after playing a key role in the Trojan War. —

Oliver Gettell, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Dec. 2025 Google had hoped to void those changes with an appeal, but the ruling issued in July by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a legal blow for the tech giant, which has been waylaid in three separate antitrust trials affecting different pillars of its internet empire. —

Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025 Ensure a simple-enough menu stays manageable with a to-do list so you’re not waylaid by days-long side quests. —

Joseph Hernandez, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for waylay

Recent Examples of Synonyms for waylay

Verb

Flying through blizzard conditions, his squadron was ambushed by seven Soviet fighter planes.

— Dallas Morning News, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
His squadron was ambushed by seven Soviet fighter planes.

— TIME Staff, Time, 25 Feb. 2026