lurk

[lurk]

See more synonyms for lurk on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to lie or wait in concealment, as a person in ambush; remain in or around a place secretly or furtively.
to go furtively; slink; steal.
to exist unperceived or unsuspected.

Chiefly Computers. to read or observe an ongoing discussion without participating in it, as on a message board.

noun Australian Informal.

an underhand scheme; dodge.
an easy, somewhat lazy or unethical way of earning a living, performing a task, etc.
a hideout.

Origin of lurk

1250–1300; Middle English lurken, frequentative of lower²; compare Norwegian lurka to sneak away

Related formslurk·er, nounlurk·ing, nounlurk·ing·ly, adverb

Synonyms for lurk

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

1. 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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for lurker

burglar, crook, robber, pilferer, lurker, housebreaker

Examples from the Web for lurker

Historical Examples of lurker

But no matter how he strove to run down the lurker, he lost him every time.
Brothers of Peril
Theodore Goodridge Roberts
But the lurker refused to be caught and darted away into the shadows.
The Corner House Girls Among the Gypsies
Grace Brooks Hill
Then he glanced over his shoulder to see if any lurker was watching them.
Ralph, the Train Dispatcher
Allen Chapman
With the mist floating across those openings, it would be easy for a lurker to watch him unseen.
The Defiant Agents
Andre Alice Norton
Go thou to thy charge among the piles of the fuel, and see that no lurker remaineth to do injury.
The Wept of Wish-Ton-Wish
James Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for lurker

lurk

verb (intr)

to move stealthily or be concealed, esp for evil purposes
to be present in an unobtrusive way; go unnoticed
to read messages posted on an electronic network without contributing messages oneself

noun

Australian and NZ slang a scheme or stratagem for success

Derived Formslurker, noun

Word Origin for lurk

C13: probably frequentative of lour; compare Middle Dutch loeren to lie in wait

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for lurker

"one who lurks," early 14c., agent noun from lurk (v.).

lurk

c.1300, lurken "to hide, lie hidden," probably from Scandinavian (cf. dialectal Norwegian lurka "to sneak away," dialectal Swedish lurka "to be slow in one's work"), perhaps ultimately related to Middle English luren "to frown, lurk" (see lower (v.2)). Related: Lurked; lurking.