Thesaurus results for WAYLAY

waylay

verb

ˈwā-ˌlā

Definition of waylay

as in to ambush

to lie in wait for and attack by surprise a lonely stretch of highway along which unsuspecting tourists are often waylaid by gangs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of waylay But that undertaking, primarily fueled by private dollars, has been waylaid due to getting a needed booster flight-qualified. — Leonard David, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2026 What had been perhaps Buxton’s finest overall season has been waylaid by a hip impingement that’s twice landed him on the IL and wrecked his production even when on the field since the start of July. — Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Or the family might have simply gotten waylaid by other plans. — R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 27 July 2026 Weighty debates about what constitutes the minimum could readily waylay the AI legislative endeavor. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for waylay

Recent Examples of Synonyms for waylay

Verb

Jackson Chourio ambushed Blake Snell’s first pitch of the night for a leadoff blast, and Robert Gasser protected the lead with five shutout frames.

— Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Two men are facing kidnapping and robbery charges after allegedly ambushing a buyer during a Facebook Marketplace transaction in Doral.

— Manuel Bojorquez, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of ambush

Verb

Protesters, many of whom have been seen carrying Palestinian flags, have set fire to historic buildings and attacked civilians.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2026
Electrons can then leak out of the chain, bonding with oxygen in the wrong parts of the mitochondria to form highly reactive free radicals that attack and deform neighboring molecules.

— Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of attack

Browse Nearby Words

waylaid

waylay

waylaying

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Waylay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waylay. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of waylay

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes