lie in wait

idiom

: to hide and wait for the right moment to make an attack

The killer may have been lying in wait for him.

—sometimes used figuratively

No one knows what lies in wait for us in the coming year.

Examples of lie in wait in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

From the mundane contract actions that too often lie in wait for months, sometimes years, to the reconceiving of software defined satellite architectures that move data faster for decisionmakers and warfighters, speed is imperative. —

Charles Beames, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024 Pace, Perrotin, Gladstone, Hauser & Wirth, White Cube, and Gagosian lie in wait by the entrance. —

George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 16 Oct. 2024 Anti-tank teams must lie in wait, patiently track targets as far as 1.5 miles away, fire a missile and then flee—fast. —

David Axe, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024 The cartels, experts in violence, exploitation and evading the law, lie in wait. —

Onkar Ghate, Orange County Register, 1 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lie in wait