What does waylaid mean?
Waylaid is the past tense and past participle of waylay. It most often describes an ambush or attack: people waylaid a traveler, seized them, or robbed them. In figurative use, something waylays a person’s plans, progress, or attempt by obstructing or delaying it. The verb can therefore sound dramatic, even when it means merely that a plan was blocked. “Waylaid” usually appears in a passive construction such as “was waylaid by bandits,” which emphasizes the victim rather than the attacker. The word is uncommon compared with ambush, but it vividly recalls an older sense of lying in wait. It is chiefly literary or narrative in modern English, although the metaphorical sense is widely understood. Knowing “waylaid” helps readers recognize both its literal and figurative uses, and its past-tense form makes it especially effective in describing an encounter that has already happened.
verbTo intercept someone, especially by lying in wait to attack or rob them; also, figuratively, to obstruct or delay a person, plan, or undertaking.
- To intercept someone by lying in wait, especially in order to attack or rob them.
- To obstruct, delay, or prevent a person, plan, or undertaking.
"Bandits waylaid the merchants on the mountain road."
"Bandits waylaid the merchants on the mountain road."
"Constant interruptions waylaid my attempt to finish the report."
Waylaid preserves an old image of danger on the road: “way” suggests a journey, while “lay” recalls placing or setting down something in wait.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How waylaid is actually used
The word is relatively uncommon and often has a dramatic or literary tone. British pronunciation commonly places primary stress on the second syllable, /ˌweɪˈleɪd/, while American pronunciation often uses /ˈweɪˌleɪd/. It is frequently used passively: “The caravan was waylaid by bandits.”
Easily confused with waylaid
“Waylaid” means intercepted or obstructed, whereas “wailed” means cried loudly.