waylaying

W4A1Y4L1A1Y4I1N1G2

noun

The act by which somebody is waylaid; an ambush.

Scrabble 19
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Meanings

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of waylay
nounwaylaying (plural waylayings)

plural waylayings

  1. The act by which somebody is waylaid; an ambush.

    Such a man, I considered, could not fail to be aware of the ordinary policial modes of action. He could not have failed to anticipate—and events have proved that he did not fail to anticipate—the waylayings to which he was subjected.

    1844, Edgar Allan Poe, The Purloined Letter

Origin

From waylay + -ing.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

waylaying. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/waylaying

MLA

“waylaying.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/waylaying. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “waylaying,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/waylaying.

Source: waylaying on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.