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lurk

 - 5 dictionary results

lurk

  [lurk]
Use lurk in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to lie or wait in concealment, as a person in ambush; remain in or around a place secretly or furtively.
2. to go furtively; slink; steal.
3. to exist unperceived or unsuspected.
4. Chiefly Computers. to read or observe an ongoing discussion without participating in it, as in an Internet newsgroup.
–noun Australian Informal.
5. an underhand scheme; dodge.
6. an easy, somewhat lazy or unethical way of earning a living, performing a task, etc.
7. a hideout.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME lurken, freq. of lower 2 ; cf. Norw lurka to sneak away

Related forms:
lurker, noun
lurk⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
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 Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To lurk
lurk   (lûrk)   
intr.v.   lurked, lurk·ing, lurks

  1. To lie in wait, as in ambush.

  2. To move furtively; sneak.

  3. To exist unobserved or unsuspected: danger lurking around every bend.

  4. To read but not contribute to the discussion in a newsgroup, chatroom, or other online forum.


[Middle English lurken, possibly of Scandinavian origin.]
lurk'ing·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
lurk

  1. in.
    to read computer newsgroups or forums without ever making a comment. : I've been lurking for a few weeks but just have to get in a few comments.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

lurk 
c.1300, lurken "to hide, lie hidden," probably from Scand. (cf. dial. Norw. lurka "to sneak away," dial. Swed. lurka "to be slow in one's work"), perhaps ult. related to M.E. luren "to frown, lurk" (see lower (v.2)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Computing Dictionary

lurk
lurking

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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