waylay C2 Topic:Crime & Justice US /ˈweɪleɪ/ UK /ˌweɪˈleɪ/ See IPA manual Freq #102474 Meanings 1 verb to wait for someone in order to attack them or stop them unexpectedly Bandits tried to waylay travelers on the forest road. 2 verb to intercept or approach someone unexpectedly Reporters waylaid the minister outside the court. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to wait for someone in... ambushlurk for 2 verb · to intercept or approach... interceptbuttonholeaccost ↔ Opposites escortprotect Word family Derived forms waylaidwaylaying Related forms layambush Etymology From way plus lay, probably modeled on Middle Dutch wegelagen, "lying in wait along a road." The older violent sense of ambush later broadened to any unexpected interception. Topics Crime & Justice External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # waylay **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /ˈweɪleɪ/ **IPA (UK):** /ˌweɪˈleɪ/ **Frequency rank:** 102474 ## Meanings 1. to wait for someone in order to attack them or stop them unexpectedly 2. to intercept or approach someone unexpectedly ## Examples - Bandits tried to waylay travelers on the forest road. - Reporters waylaid the minister outside the court. ## Synonyms - ambush - intercept - buttonhole - accost - lurk for ## Antonyms - escort - protect ## Derived Forms - waylaid - waylaying ## Related Forms - lay - ambush ## Etymology From way plus lay, probably modeled on Middle Dutch wegelagen, "lying in wait along a road." The older violent sense of ambush later broadened to any unexpected interception. ## Topics - Crime & Justice markdown