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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Recent Examples of waylay
These are the chapters that feature the merry trickster of the forest, Tom Bombadil, a classic fiddle-dee-dee-mischief type who waylays the hobbits at the onset of their quest.
—
Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Mar. 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
Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Mar. 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
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On Monday, Stoneham Police raced to a home for a report of a person with a gun waiting to ambush someone.—
Kristina Rex,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
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On the other hand, some volcanoes prefer to ambush us, even when smothered in instrumentation.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 May 2026
Verb
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In fact, the Sixers will be better equipped to attack this Knicks flaw if Embiid can return at any point in the series.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2026
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In one of the evening’s most striking moments, Raman accused Bass and Pratt of working together to attack her.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waylay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waylay. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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