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Lie in wait   /laɪ ɪn weɪt/   Listen
verb
Lie  v. i.  (past lay; past part. lain, obs. lien; pres. part. lying)  
1.
To rest extended on the ground, a bed, or any support; to be, or to put one's self, in an horizontal position, or nearly so; to be prostate; to be stretched out; often with down, when predicated of living creatures; as, the book lies on the table; the snow lies on the roof; he lies in his coffin. "The watchful traveler... Lay down again, and closed his weary eyes."
2.
To be situated; to occupy a certain place; as, Ireland lies west of England; the meadows lie along the river; the ship lay in port.
3.
To abide; to remain for a longer or shorter time; to be in a certain state or condition; as, to lie waste; to lie fallow; to lie open; to lie hid; to lie grieving; to lie under one's displeasure; to lie at the mercy of the waves; the paper does not lie smooth on the wall.
4.
To be or exist; to belong or pertain; to have an abiding place; to consist; with in. "Envy lies between beings equal in nature, though unequal in circumstances." "He that thinks that diversion may not lie in hard labor, forgets the early rising and hard riding of huntsmen."
5.
To lodge; to sleep. "Whiles I was now trifling at home, I saw London,... where I lay one night only." "Mr. Quinion lay at our house that night."
6.
To be still or quiet, like one lying down to rest. "The wind is loud and will not lie."
7.
(Law) To be sustainable; to be capable of being maintained. "An appeal lies in this case." Note: Through ignorance or carelessness speakers and writers often confuse the forms of the two distinct verbs lay and lie. Lay is a transitive verb, and has for its preterit laid; as, he told me to lay it down, and I laid it down. Lie is intransitive, and has for its preterit lay; as, he told me to lie down, and I lay down. Some persons blunder by using laid for the preterit of lie; as, he told me to lie down, and I laid down. So persons often say incorrectly, the ship laid at anchor; they laid by during the storm; the book was laying on the shelf, etc. It is only necessary to remember, in all such cases, that laid is the preterit of lay, and not of lie.
To lie along the shore (Naut.), to coast, keeping land in sight.
To lie at the door of, to be imputable to; as, the sin, blame, etc., lies at your door.
To lie at the heart, to be an object of affection, desire, or anxiety.
To lie at the mercy of, to be in the power of.
To lie by.
(a)
To remain with; to be at hand; as, he has the manuscript lying by him.
(b)
To rest; to intermit labor; as, we lay by during the heat of the day.
To lie hard or To lie heavy, to press or weigh; to bear hard.
To lie in, to be in childbed; to bring forth young.
To lie in one, to be in the power of; to belong to. "As much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."
To lie in the way, to be an obstacle or impediment.
To lie in wait, to wait in concealment; to lie in ambush.
To lie on or To lie upon.
(a)
To depend on; as, his life lies on the result.
(b)
To bear, rest, press, or weigh on.
To lie low, to remain in concealment or inactive. (Slang)
To lie on hand,
To lie on one's hands, to remain unsold or unused; as, the goods are still lying on his hands; they have too much time lying on their hands.
To lie on the head of, to be imputed to. "What he gets more of her than sharp words, let it lie on my head."
To lie over.
(a)
To remain unpaid after the time when payment is due, as a note in bank.
(b)
To be deferred to some future occasion, as a resolution in a public deliberative body.
To lie to (Naut.), to stop or delay; especially, to head as near the wind as possible as being the position of greatest safety in a gale; said of a ship. Cf. To bring to, under Bring.
To lie under, to be subject to; to suffer; to be oppressed by.
To lie with.
(a)
To lodge or sleep with.
(b)
To have sexual intercourse with.
(c)
To belong to; as, it lies with you to make amends.



noun
Wait  n.  
1.
The act of waiting; a delay; a halt. "There is a wait of three hours at the border Mexican town of El Paso."
2.
Ambush. "An enemy in wait."
3.
One who watches; a watchman. (Obs.)
4.
pl. Hautboys, or oboes, played by town musicians; not used in the singular. (Obs.)
5.
pl. Musicians who sing or play at night or in the early morning, especially at Christmas time; serenaders; musical watchmen. (Written formerly wayghtes) "Hark! are the waits abroad?" "The sound of the waits, rude as may be their minstrelsy, breaks upon the mild watches of a winter night with the effect of perfect harmony."
To lay wait, to prepare an ambuscade.
To lie in wait. See under 4th Lie.






Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48








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"Lie in wait" Quotes from Famous Books



... in the existence of spirits, which they classify simply as good and evil. They do not trouble their heads much about the former, but they are terribly afraid of the latter. Hideous devils infest dark corners, and lie in wait to injure unfortunate passers-by, often for no cause whatever. The spirits of persons who have been wronged are especially dreaded by those who have done the wrong. A man who has been defrauded of money will ...
— The Civilization Of China • Herbert A. Giles

... reliance. V. expect; look for, look out for, look forward to; hope for; anticipate; have in prospect, have in contemplation; keep in view; contemplate, promise oneself; not wonder at &c 870, not wonder if. wait for, tarry for, lie in wait for, watch for, bargain for; keep a good lookout for, keep a sharp lookout for; await; stand at 'attention' abide, bide one's time, watch. foresee &c 510; prepare for &c 673; forestall &c (be early) 132; count upon &c (believe in) 484; think likely &c ...
— Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases: Body • Roget

... were out of Djelfa, for, though few Europeans travelled that way, and the road is hideous for motors, still it was not impossible that a certain yellow car had slipped in before them, to lie in wait. The Caid's house, where they spent that night, was outside the town, and behind its closed doors and little windows there was no fear of intruders. It was good to be sure of shelter and security under a friend's roof; and ...
— The Golden Silence • C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson

... of them was at once victorious, so mightily did Minerva help him. The Cadmeans were incensed at his success, and set a force of fifty youths with two captains—the godlike hero Maeon, son of Haemon, and Polyphontes, son of Autophonus—at their head, to lie in wait for him on his return journey; but Tydeus slew every man of them, save only Maeon, whom he let go in obedience to heaven's omens. Such was Tydeus of Aetolia. His son can talk more glibly, but he cannot fight ...
— The Iliad • Homer

... appealed to his own resources, which consisted of the passive obedience of his immediate attendants and the power of his purse. To Bomilcar his most trusted servant he gave the mission of making one final effort with the gold which had already done so much. Men might be hired who would lie in wait for Massiva. If possible, the matter was to be effected secretly. If secrecy was impossible, the Numidian must yet be slain. His death was deserving of any risk. Bomilcar was prompt in carrying out his mission. A band of hired spies ...
— A History of Rome, Vol 1 - During the late Republic and early Principate • A H.J. Greenidge


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