as in ambushed
to lie in wait for and attack by surprise
a lonely stretch of highway along which unsuspecting tourists are often waylaid by gangs
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Recent Examples of waylaid
The decision came back to haunt the Braves, who were waylaid by injuries and underperformance and ultimately saw their streak of postseason berths end at seven.
—
Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 5 Feb. 2026
In addition, the multiple injuries have waylaid his development.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 14 Jan. 2026
They were supposed to come together at the Palm Springs Film Festival earlier this month, but DiCaprio got famously waylaid while traveling back from his Jeff Bezos yacht vacation.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 9 Jan. 2026
Damon takes center stage as Odysseus, the brave and cunning king of Ithaca who gets waylaid for 10 years trying to return home to his loyal wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and dutiful son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), after playing a key role in the Trojan War.
—Oliver Gettell, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Dec. 2025
Google had hoped to void those changes with an appeal, but the ruling issued in July by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a legal blow for the tech giant, which has been waylaid in three separate antitrust trials affecting different pillars of its internet empire.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
Ensure a simple-enough menu stays manageable with a to-do list so you’re not waylaid by days-long side quests.
—Joseph Hernandez, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 Oct. 2025
In Pecos, a shelter employee named Luis gave me a tour while Wright was waylaid by a man in a black pickup truck who wanted to surrender four pit bulls.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
An introduction to the press in November 2019 netted immediate e-commerce sales but Nomasei was waylaid by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, four months in.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025
Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 5 Feb. 2026
In addition, the multiple injuries have waylaid his development.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 14 Jan. 2026
They were supposed to come together at the Palm Springs Film Festival earlier this month, but DiCaprio got famously waylaid while traveling back from his Jeff Bezos yacht vacation.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 9 Jan. 2026
Damon takes center stage as Odysseus, the brave and cunning king of Ithaca who gets waylaid for 10 years trying to return home to his loyal wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and dutiful son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), after playing a key role in the Trojan War.
—Oliver Gettell, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Dec. 2025
Google had hoped to void those changes with an appeal, but the ruling issued in July by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a legal blow for the tech giant, which has been waylaid in three separate antitrust trials affecting different pillars of its internet empire.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
Ensure a simple-enough menu stays manageable with a to-do list so you’re not waylaid by days-long side quests.
—Joseph Hernandez, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 Oct. 2025
In Pecos, a shelter employee named Luis gave me a tour while Wright was waylaid by a man in a black pickup truck who wanted to surrender four pit bulls.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
An introduction to the press in November 2019 netted immediate e-commerce sales but Nomasei was waylaid by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, four months in.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waylaid
Verb
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Investigators allege that Andrade and Rodriguez ambushed 6ix9ine’s mother at gunpoint in the garage of the rapper’s Wellington, Florida home.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
3 Feb. 2026
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said an ICE agent shot a Venezuelan national in the leg after agents were allegedly ambushed and attacked with a shovel.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The book's Japanese translator was murdered, and others associated with it were attacked.—
Anderson Cooper,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
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Because as Bam Adebayo attacked a second-quarter offensive rebound with seemingly nothing but open air space toward the rim, teammate Kel’el Ware had similar thoughts of contesting that same carom of that Davion Mitchell errant attempt.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Waylaid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waylaid. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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