waylay
to intercept or attack from ambush, as in order to rob, seize, or slay.
to await and accost unexpectedly: The actor was waylaid by a swarm of admirers.
Origin of waylay
1Other words from waylay
- waylayer, noun
Words Nearby waylay
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use waylay in a sentence
Eager to be reunited with her husband Lim Lee, whose father was an American citizen, Shee voyaged from Hong Kong to San Francisco just before the 1924 Immigration Act, at which point the law’s enactment led to her being waylaid on Angel Island.
The Overlooked History of Angel Island, Where the U.S. Enforced Rules Designed to Keep Asian Immigrants Out | Video by Arpita Aneja | May 3, 2021 | TimeThen the gang did deliberately combine to waylay and attack Lieutenant Overton and Terry?
Uncle Sam's Boys as Lieutenants | H. Irving HancockThere are many matters in which you may waylay Destiny, and bid him stand and deliver.
The Pocket R.L.S. | Robert Louis Stevenson"Really, there's a conspiracy of Brydones to waylay us this afternoon," Guy exclaimed, petulantly.
Plashers Mead | Compton MackenzieOne way is, to waylay their schooner at sea, capture her, and then go into the Cove and destroy the settlement.
A Middy of the King | Harry Collingwood
In my time it was kept and patrolled by a one-eyed, uncanny-looking old sweeper who used to waylay me for pennies.
Polly the Pagan | Isabel Anderson
British Dictionary definitions for waylay
/ (weɪˈleɪ) /
to lie in wait for and attack
to await and intercept unexpectedly
Origin of waylay
1Derived forms of waylay
- waylayer, noun
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
Browse