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 lurk 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. 2019

Related Words for lurks

skulk, crouch, prowl, creep, snoop, slink, sneak, slide, snake, slip, steal, wait, gumshoe

Examples from the Web for lurks

Contemporary Examples of lurks

The last six months have been a stark reminder of the brutality that lurks at the boundaries of civilized society.
All Aboard the USS Persecution Complex
Candida Moss, Joel Baden
October 19, 2014
That insight alone should make us aware of what lurks beneath all our anxieties, sexual dread included.
Our Bad Romance Obsession Is the Ultimate First World Problem
James Poulos
January 2, 2014
But it turns out that just 63 light years away, there lurks a similarly colored planet.
All About HD 189733b, That Other Blue Planet
Nina Strochlic
July 11, 2013
Perhaps Earhart, or her plane, lurks in this spooky atmosphere.
Amelia Earhart: New Documentary Searches Underwater for Pilot and Her Plane
Jane Mendelsohn
August 17, 2012
Again a brilliant movie taking a hold of the myth that lurks around us all the time.
William Shatner's 10 Favorite Space Movies
William Shatner
October 10, 2011

Historical Examples of lurks

It is a danger that lurks and hides in the sources and fountains of power in every state.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
The Shadow which lurks in every bridal lamp had become the Spectre of the bedchamber.
Bride of the Mistletoe
James Lane Allen
I have tried to show the real danger that lurks in every form of sex-parasitism.
The Truth About Woman
C. Gasquoine Hartley
But there lurks no bribe in the smell and beauty of the flower.
The Stark Munro Letters
J. Stark Munro
But in each of us there lurks some particle of the mob spirit, of the mob temperament.
The Mirror of the Sea
Joseph Conrad

British Dictionary definitions for lurks

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 lurks

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.