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- Dictionaryway·lay/ˈwāˌlā/
verb
- 1. stop or interrupt (someone) and detain them in conversation or trouble them in some other way: "he waylaid me on the stairs" Similar
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WAYLAY definition: 1. to wait for and then stop someone, especially either to attack or talk to that person: 2. to…. Learn more.
The meaning of WAYLAY is to lie in wait for or attack (someone) from ambush. How to use waylay in a sentence.
When you waylay someone, you stop them from doing what they were going to do, either by using violence or some other tactic. To waylay, or to be waylaid, is usually not a good thing: Mom would not be proud.
verb. If someone waylays you, they stop you when you are going somewhere, for example in order to talk to you, to steal something from you, or to attack you. She was forever waylaying him in odd holes and corners of the hotel. [VERB noun] The trucks are being waylaid by bandits. [VERB noun] I'm sorry, Nick, I got waylaid.
1. to intercept or attack from ambush, as in order to rob, seize, or slay. 2. to await and accost unexpectedly. [1505–15; way 1 + lay 1, after Middle Low German, Middle Dutch wegelagen to lie in wait, derivative of wegelage a lying in wait] way′lay`er, n.
WAYLAY meaning: 1. to wait for and then stop someone, especially either to attack or talk to that person: 2. to…. Learn more.
Definitions of 'waylay' If someone waylays you, they stop you when you are going somewhere, for example, in order to talk to you, to steal something from you, or to attack you. More
waylay somebody to stop somebody who is going somewhere, especially in order to talk to them or attack them. I got waylaid on my way here.
What does the verb waylay mean? There are six meanings listed in OED's entry for the verb waylay, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. See meaning & use. How common is the verb waylay? About 0.3 occurrences per million words in modern written English. See frequency.
WAYLAY meaning: 1 : to stop (someone who is going somewhere) usually used as (be) waylaid sometimes used figuratively; 2 : to attack (someone or something) by surprise from a hidden place.
