as in ambushes
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 Synonyms for waylays
Verb
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In the Kill Bill movies, Uma Thurman stars as The Bride, left for dead after her former boss and lover Bill ambushes her wedding rehearsal, shooting her in the head and stealing her unborn child.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Berkley’s dies by suicide by jumping off a balcony outside their office window; Simpson’s goes crazy and attacks her ex with sulfuric acid.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
4 Nov. 2025
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For this new study in particular, the researchers focused on the 5FU, which often both fails to reach cancer cells efficiently and attacks healthy tissue—causing side effects like nausea, fatigue and, in rare cases, even heart failure.—
Hannah Millington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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“Waylays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waylays. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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