Meanings
present singular third person lies in wait · participle present lying in wait · past lay in wait · participle past lain in wait
- idiomaticintransitiveTo be hiding, waiting to ambush or attack someone, or simply to accost them unexpectedly.
1 more example
Nothing impressed me, so much, in my visits here (which were pretty numerous) as the uncommonly hard and cruel character of the audience, who resent the slightest defect, take nothing good-humouredly, seem to be always lying in wait for an opportunity to hiss, and spare the actresses as little as the actors.
1846, Charles Dickens, “Genoa and Its Neighbourhood”, in Pictures from Italy, London: […] Bradbury & Evans, […], →OCLC, page 67Synonyms: waylay
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo be hiding, waiting to ambush or attack someone, or simply to accost them unexpectedly.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Ancient Greek ἐνεδρεύω, φυλάσσω
- ἐνεδρεύω (enedreúō)to be hiding to ambush
- φυλάσσω (phulássō)to be hiding to ambush
Bulgarian де́бна
- де́бна (débna)to be hiding to ambush
Catalan estar a l'aguait
- estar a l'aguaitto be hiding to ambush
Finnish väijyä
- väijyäto be hiding to ambush
French être à l'affût, êtres aux aguets
- être à l'affûtto be hiding to ambush
- êtres aux aguetsto be hiding to ambush
German auf der Lauer liegen
- auf der Lauer liegento be hiding to ambush
Hebrew אָרַב
- אָרַב (aráv)to be hiding to ambush
Icelandic sitja um, liggja í launsátri
- sitja umto be hiding to ambush
- liggja í launsátrito be hiding to ambush
- sitja fyrirto be hiding to ambush
Italian appostarsi, stare in agguato
- appostarsito be hiding to ambush
- stare in agguatoto be hiding to ambush
Japanese 張り込む
- 張り込む (harikomu)to be hiding to ambush
Latin aucupor, īnsidior
- aucuporto be hiding to ambush
- īnsidiorto be hiding to ambush
Polish czatować, przyczajać się
- czatowaćto be hiding to ambush
- przyczajać sięto be hiding to ambush
- przyczaić sięto be hiding to ambush
Portuguese emboscar-se, tocaiar
- emboscar-seto be hiding to ambush
- tocaiarto be hiding to ambush
Russian злоумы́слить
- злоумы́слить (zloumýslitʹ)to be hiding to ambush
Spanish estar al acecho
- estar al acechoto be hiding to ambush
Swedish ligga på lur
- ligga på lurto be hiding to ambush
Thai ดักรอ
- ดักรอto be hiding to ambush
Turkish pusuya yatmak, pusu kurmak
- pusuya yatmakto be hiding to ambush
- pusu kurmakto be hiding to ambush
- pusmakto be hiding to ambush
Cite this entry
lie in wait. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lie%20in%20wait
“lie in wait.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lie%20in%20wait. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lie in wait,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lie%20in%20wait.
Source: lie in wait on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.