waylaying

verb

present participle of waylay
as in ambushing
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for waylaying
  1. ambushing
  2. attacking
Verb
  • Prosecutors, meanwhile, have alleged that Mangione meticulously planned the killing for months, documenting his thoughts in journals and traveling across the country before ambushing Thompson in New York City.
    — Stepheny Price , Michael Ruiz , Maria Paronich, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2026
  • Lit up by minor-leaguers ambushing first-pitch fastballs?
    — Levi Weaver, New York Times, 8 June 2026
Definition of ambushing
Verb
  • Iran has bombarded several of its neighbors’ data centers, and the United States responded by attacking one of Iran’s.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
  • That’s in stark contrast to their arachnid cousins, spiders, whose females that tend to be violent, attacking and eating the males.
    — Christa Lesté-Lasserre, Scientific American, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of attacking
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Waylaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waylaying. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on waylaying

Nglish: Translation of waylaying for Spanish Speakers

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