waylay

/wei'lei/
Học thuật
Thân thiện
Definition
  1. Verb:
    • To wait in hiding to attack or ambush someone: The primary meaning of "waylay" is to lie in wait for someone, typically with the intention of attacking, robbing, or confronting them unexpectedly.
    • To stop or accost someone unexpectedly: It can also mean to intercept or stop someone, often to talk to them, in an unexpected or inconvenient manner.
Usage Examples
  • Verb:
    • The bandits planned to waylay the merchant's caravan on the mountain pass.
    • Reporters waylaid the politician as he left the building, asking for a comment on the scandal.
    • I was waylaid by an old friend on my way to the meeting, which made me late.
Advanced Usage
  • "to be waylaid": to be stopped or ambushed.
    • Our progress was waylaid by a series of unexpected bureaucratic hurdles. (Used figuratively to mean "hindered" or "delayed.")
Variants and Related Words
  • Waylayer (n): a person who waylays others.
    • The waylayers hid in the dense forest.
Synonyms
  • Ambush: To attack from a concealed position.
  • Lie in wait: To hide and wait for someone or something.
  • Accost: To approach and address someone boldly or aggressively.
  • Intercept: To stop or catch someone or something going from one place to another.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

(Note: "Waylay" itself is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. Its meaning is contained within the single verb.)

Related Idioms
  • To lay in wait for: This phrase is closely related in meaning to "waylay."
    • The hunters laid in wait for the deer near the watering hole.
Verb
  1. wait in hiding to attack

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