1
as in sneaking
to move about in a sly or secret manner
we caught a glimpse of someone lurking around the corner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in hiding
to remain out of sight
watch out for snakes lurking in the tall grass
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lurking
Young New Yorkers sense lions, tigers and bears lurking too.
—
Caroline Aiken Koster, New York Daily News, 1 Jan. 2025
The following month, a separate team of researchers discovered evidence of a different intermediate-mass black hole, this time lurking near the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) at the heart of the Milky Way, some 27,000 light-years from Earth.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 30 Dec. 2024
Smith incorporated people from other families, stories from the neighborhood—there’s a terrifying lurking child molester who came from a newspaper article.
—Perri Klass, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2024
At the same time, the anxiety of policymakers, who see economic and security risks lurking at every corner, will continue to drive efforts to channel AI competition toward zero-sum geopolitical goals.
—Reva Goujon, Foreign Affairs, 27 Dec. 2024
This indicated not only a black hole lurking at the center of this galaxy but that object was bizarrely rotated at a 90-degree angle to NGC 5084.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 20 Dec. 2024
Players who aren’t accustomed to the requirements of this very specific type of multiplayer shooter and the focused way it is meant to be played are just ignoring the objective and running around the map like a headless chicken trying to kill the final player who may be lurking on a point.
—Echo Apsey, Rolling Stone, 20 Dec. 2024
The woman, named Maria Jaimes from Cedar Creek, Texas, sat down on the toilet in the pitch black, only to find a snake lurking in her toilet.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
Only last year, one Texas woman found a rattlesnake lurking in her toilet, and another also found a rat snake poking out from the U-bend.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
Caroline Aiken Koster, New York Daily News, 1 Jan. 2025
The following month, a separate team of researchers discovered evidence of a different intermediate-mass black hole, this time lurking near the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) at the heart of the Milky Way, some 27,000 light-years from Earth.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 30 Dec. 2024
Smith incorporated people from other families, stories from the neighborhood—there’s a terrifying lurking child molester who came from a newspaper article.
—Perri Klass, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2024
At the same time, the anxiety of policymakers, who see economic and security risks lurking at every corner, will continue to drive efforts to channel AI competition toward zero-sum geopolitical goals.
—Reva Goujon, Foreign Affairs, 27 Dec. 2024
This indicated not only a black hole lurking at the center of this galaxy but that object was bizarrely rotated at a 90-degree angle to NGC 5084.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 20 Dec. 2024
Players who aren’t accustomed to the requirements of this very specific type of multiplayer shooter and the focused way it is meant to be played are just ignoring the objective and running around the map like a headless chicken trying to kill the final player who may be lurking on a point.
—Echo Apsey, Rolling Stone, 20 Dec. 2024
The woman, named Maria Jaimes from Cedar Creek, Texas, sat down on the toilet in the pitch black, only to find a snake lurking in her toilet.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
Only last year, one Texas woman found a rattlesnake lurking in her toilet, and another also found a rat snake poking out from the U-bend.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurking
Verb
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Rushdie himself was attacked on stage at an event in upstate New York in 2022 after coming out of hiding.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
27 Dec. 2024
-
Rushdie himself was attacked on stage at an event in upstate New York in 2022 after coming out of hiding.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
27 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Harrison took Georgia’s second-half kickoff all the way to the end zone, slipping a tackle near the middle of the field, cutting toward the right sideline and outrunning everyone.—
Brett Martel,
The Denver Post,
2 Jan. 2025
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By 1980, amid double-digit inflation, spiraling gas prices, and Ayatollah Khomeini’s revolution in Iran, the United States was slipping into another recession.—
Eric Berger,
Ars Technica,
30 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Pino’s camera records Richard lying facedown, handcuffed, while Blum steps over his legs.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2025
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Advertisement Upon entry to the hotel room, police found a 24-year-old woman lying dead with evidence of recent injuries.—
Terry Castleman,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lurking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurking. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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