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lie in wait. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
lie in wait, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
lie in wait in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
lie in wait you have here. The definition of the word
lie in wait will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
lie in wait, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Verb
lie in wait (third-person singular simple present lies in wait, present participle lying in wait, simple past lay in wait, past participle lain in wait)
- (intransitive) To be hiding, waiting to ambush or attack someone, or simply to accost them unexpectedly.
1846, Charles Dickens, “Genoa and Its Neighbourhood”, in Pictures from Italy, London: Bradbury & Evans, , →OCLC, page 67: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.
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