waylay
Americanverb (used with object)
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to intercept or attack from ambush, as in order to rob, seize, or slay.
-
to await and accost unexpectedly.
The actor was waylaid by a swarm of admirers.
verb
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to lie in wait for and attack
-
to await and intercept unexpectedly
Other Word Forms
- waylayer noun
Etymology
Origin of waylay
First recorded in 1505–15; way 1 + lay 1, after Middle Low German, Middle Dutch wegelagen “to lie in wait,” derivative of wegelage “a lying in wait”
Explanation
When you waylay someone, you stop them from doing what they were going to do, either by using violence or some other tactic. To waylay, or to be waylaid, is usually not a good thing: Mom would not be proud. Robbers waylay their victims. Outlaws waylaid stagecoaches in the Old West. The verb's origin, from wegelage, means "lying in wait, with evil or hostile intent." You might also use waylay to show someone being interrupted from finishing the task at hand: "I should’ve been studying, but was waylaid by my friend's invitation to go bungee jumping."
Vocabulary lists containing waylay
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Most projects take years to complete, hindered by the pendulum swings of available money, so Brewster tempers her frustration at having to waylay them mid-planning until she can find enough cash.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025
Those carriers argue that additional long-distance flights at Reagan National would cause passenger delays and might even waylay the F.A.A.’s reauthorization.
From New York Times • Jul. 4, 2023
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper is worried that the COVID-19 crisis might waylay his plans to increase the military budget.
From Slate • May 5, 2020
But SNAs, at only billionths of a meter across, seem able to travel anywhere in the body and get inside cells before immune defenses can waylay them.
From Nature • Dec. 3, 2019
All went well that day, and no sight or sound had they of the enemy waiting to waylay them.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
