lurk
Americanverb (used without object)
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lurks,
present (3rd person singular)
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lurked,
past participle, past
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lurking
present participle
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to lie or wait in concealment, as a person in ambush; remain in or around a place secretly or furtively.
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to go furtively; slink; steal.
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to exist unperceived or unsuspected.
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Chiefly Computers. to read or observe an ongoing discussion without participating in it, as on a message board.
noun
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an underhand scheme; dodge.
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an easy, somewhat lazy or unethical way of earning a living, performing a task, etc.
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a hideout.
verb
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to move stealthily or be concealed, esp for evil purposes
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to be present in an unobtrusive way; go unnoticed
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to read messages posted on an electronic network without contributing messages oneself
noun
Synonym Usage
Lurk, skulk, sneak, prowl suggest avoiding observation, often because of a sinister purpose. To lurk is to lie in wait for someone or to hide about a place, often without motion, for periods of time. Skulk suggests cowardliness and stealth of movement. Sneak emphasizes the attempt to avoid being seen. It has connotations of slinking and of an abject meanness of manner, whether there exists a sinister intent or the desire to avoid punishment for some misdeed. Prowl implies the definite purpose of seeking for prey; it suggests continuous action in roaming or wandering, slowly and quietly but watchfully, as a cat that is hunting mice.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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lurksimple
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lurkssimple
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have lurkedperfect
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has lurkedperfect
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am lurkingprogressive
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are lurkingprogressive
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is lurkingprogressive
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have been lurkingperfect progressive
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has been lurkingperfect progressive
Past
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lurkedsimple
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had lurkedperfect
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was lurkingprogressive
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were lurkingprogressive
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had been lurkingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of lurk
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English lurken, frequentative of lower 2; compare Norwegian lurka “to sneak away”
Explanation
To lurk is to creep around, hide out, and wait to attack. Your team’s strategy for winning capture the flag might be to lurk in the bushes for an hour until the opposing side thinks you gave up and went home. The verb lurk means to move furtively or sneak around, usually while you wait to pounce. Tigers lurk through the jungle, stalking their prey, and creepy characters are always lurking in the shadows in horror movies. Perhaps that's why you'll often hear people describe not-so-safe places by saying that danger lurks at every turn. Other words for lurk include creep, prowl, and snoop.
Vocabulary lists containing lurk
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
See Examples For:
These grandmothers have loads of experience, and some wisdom to go with it, but they do not lurk in the background waiting for their cue to dispense it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026
Murrin’s case highlights pitfalls that lurk when people entrust someone with their taxes, according to Olson.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 27, 2026
Someone who can see your screen can learn a lot about you: how much is in your bank account, what corporate secrets lurk in your email or—most sensitively—the code you type to unlock your phone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026
When that happens, danger tends to lurk around the corner.
From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026
It stuck in die mind like one of those spiny sticker burrs they had in the South, in Florida, small hooked seeds that lurk in the grass.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
We’re entering Los Angeles, circa 1981, and just like the Overlook Hotel, danger lurks beneath a glamorous facade.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
While some of the AI momentum paused Wednesday, good luck finding anyone who thinks an end to the AI spending spree lurks on the horizon.
From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026
It suggests that no other irreversible power to immunize lurks in the Constitution’s silences.
From Slate ● May 26, 2026
That disposition lurks behind his piercing hazel-green eyes, which seem to absorb every detail of the small coffeeshop and our fellow patrons, and it’s at the heart of how he moves through the world.
From Salon ● May 15, 2026
Anthropology tells us and archaeology implies that our uncivilised ancestors could be red in tooth and claw; psychoanalysis seeks to persuade us that the savage in all of us lurks not far below the skin.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Somewhere in the back of my mind lurked the memory of soy-butter corn ramen, another reminder that corn, umami, fat and slurpable carbohydrates have always gotten along beautifully.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
Money lurked in the background, such as when they spoke about selling the house versus keeping it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
A daily report warned that although the fresh powder looked inviting, hazards like rocks and bushes lurked beneath so skiers should ride with caution.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2026
Both suffered outages on Thursday afternoon as Tropical Cyclone Narelle lurked off the coast of Western Australia.
From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026
Daniel had no idea how many dead people lurked at the Eighty-Sixth Street subway station.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
But Smith wanted to make it clear that there was something tawdry lurking underneath the elegance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Two women witness the strange murder of a neighbor and begin to believe that something could be lurking in the mist that’s enveloped the Earth.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
Something like that could be lurking for enrollees next year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
However, lurking just one goal behind Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot is England captain Harry Kane, whose penalty against Mexico proved the winner in a World Cup classic.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
“If I am seen lurking around, I am likely to be turned over to the police.”
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
