waylay
Americanverb (used with object)
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to intercept or attack from ambush, as in order to rob, seize, or slay.
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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
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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”
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.
In June 2016, the couple allege in court papers, cops waylaid them on a road, handcuffed them and drove them to see “boss Veytia” at a police headquarters in Tepic.
From Los Angeles Times
But unlike in the past, Byrne’s new movie never waylays you with a surprise narrative wrinkle or unexpected thematic depth.
From Los Angeles Times
In the summer of 2023, Arbit was waylaid by a right-wing campaign that reduced his detailed proposal to “the pronoun bill” by spreading the debunked idea it would criminalize misgendering someone.
From Salon
Personally, I’d rather be waylaid in the waiting room of “The Pitt.”
From Los Angeles Times
Then in 1967 he was waylaid in his car by criminals who shot him and killed his wife, Pauline.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
