lie in wait

Idioms  

1. Remain hidden while preparing to attack, as in The opposition was quietly lying in wait for the incumbent to make his first big mistake. This expression originally alluded to physical attacks and is now often used figuratively. [Mid-1400s] Also see lay for.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lie in wait

The rewards, for better or worse, lie in wait for those who take a side.

From Slate ● Apr. 21, 2026

Tough tests lie in wait, but that show of support did not go unnoticed.

From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2025

Not being able to lie in wait for your helper to enter the cell poses an important challenge to a satellite phage.

From Salon ● Nov. 9, 2023

Across Afghanistan, thousands of unexploded devices lie in wait, the U.N. de-mining agency says.

From Reuters ● Jul. 7, 2022

They have an encyclopedic understanding of their opponents: how they like to race, when they are likely to start sprinting, when they like to lie in wait.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• await
• delay
• expect
• hang
• linger
• remain
• stand by
• stay
• stick around
• watch