Lurk — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

lie in wait, lie in ambush, behave in a sneaky and secretive manner

be about

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/lˈɜːk/

🇬🇧British English

/lˈɜːk/

🇮🇳Indian English

/lˈɜːk/

1 syllable Say it as /lˈɜːk/.

Examples

The high school students like to loiter in the Central Square
Who is this man that is hanging around the department?

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

mill around lollygag mess about linger lounge ambuscade mill about tarry loaf waylay scupper bushwhack footle lallygag hang around loiter ambush skulk lie in wait

Parts of Speech

verb	lie in wait, lie in ambush, behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
verb	be about “The high school students like to loiter in the Central Square”
verb	wait in hiding to attack

Word Forms

lurker	noun	someone waiting in concealment
skulker	noun	someone waiting in concealment
loiterer	noun	someone who lingers aimlessly in or about a place
lounger	noun	someone who wastes time
lingerer	noun	someone who lingers aimlessly in or about a place
ambush	noun	the act of concealing yourself and lying in wait to attack by surprise
ambusher	noun	an attacker who waits in a concealed position to launch a surprise attack
bushwhacker	noun	a Confederate guerrilla during the American Civil War
ambuscade	noun	the act of concealing yourself and lying in wait to attack by surprise

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

lauern

auf der Lauer liegen, im Hinterhalt liegen, sich hinterlistig und geheimnisvoll verhalten

🇫🇷French

se cacher

guetter, tendre une embuscade, se comporter de manière sournoise et secrète

🇪🇸Spanish

estar al acecho

acechar, tender emboscadas, comportarse de manera furtiva y reservada

🇮🇹Italian

in agguato

restare in agguato, tendere un'imboscata, comportarsi in modo subdolo e riservato

🇳🇱Dutch

op de loer liggen

op de loer liggen, in een hinderlaag liggen, zich op een stiekeme en geheimzinnige manier gedragen

🇵🇹Portuguese

espreitar

ficar à espreita, fazer uma emboscada, comportar-se de maneira sorrateira e secreta

🇷🇺Russian

скрываться

подстерегать, лежать в засаде, вести себя хитро и скрытно

India

🇮🇳Hindi

घात में रहना

प्रतीक्षा में झूठ बोलना, घात में झूठ बोलना, गुप्त और गुप्त तरीके से व्यवहार करना

🇧🇩Bengali

লুকোনো

অপেক্ষায় থাকা, অতর্কিতভাবে শুয়ে থাকা, লুকোচুরি এবং গোপনীয়ভাবে আচরণ করা

🇮🇳Tamil

பதுங்குங்கள்

காத்திருப்பு, பதுங்கியிருந்து பொய், மறைவாகவும் இரகசியமாகவும் நடந்துகொள்

🇮🇳Telugu

దాగి ఉండు

వేచి ఉండు, ఆకస్మిక దాడిలో పడుకో, రహస్యంగా మరియు రహస్యంగా ప్రవర్తించండి

🇮🇳Marathi

लपून बसणे

वाट पाहणे, आडवे पडणे, चोरटे आणि गुप्तपणे वागणे

🇮🇳Gujarati

સંતાઈ જવું

રાહમાં સૂવું, ઓચિંતો છાપો મારવો, ડરપોક અને ગુપ્ત રીતે વર્તવું

🇮🇳Kannada

ಅಡಗಿಸು

ಕಾದು ಮಲಗಿ, ಹೊಂಚುದಾಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮಲಗಿ, ಗುಟ್ಟಾಗಿ ಮತ್ತು ರಹಸ್ಯವಾಗಿ ವರ್ತಿಸಿ

🇮🇳Malayalam

പതിയിരിക്കുക

പതിയിരിക്കുക, പതിയിരുന്ന് കിടക്കുക, രഹസ്യമായും രഹസ്യമായും പെരുമാറുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਲੁਕਣਾ

ਇੰਤਜ਼ਾਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਲੇਟਣਾ, ਘਾਤ ਵਿੱਚ ਲੇਟਣਾ, ਇੱਕ ਛੁਪੇ ਅਤੇ ਗੁਪਤ ਤਰੀਕੇ ਨਾਲ ਵਿਵਹਾਰ ਕਰਨਾ

🇵🇰Urdu

چھپنا

انتظار میں رہنا، گھات لگا کر جھوٹ بولنا، ڈرپوک اور خفیہ انداز میں برتاؤ کرنا

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

潜伏

埋伏, 埋伏, 偷偷摸摸地行事

🇯🇵Japanese

潜む

待ち伏せする、待ち伏せする、卑劣かつ秘密裏に行動する

🇰🇷Korean

밀행

기다리다, 매복하다, 은밀하고 은밀하게 행동하다

🇻🇳Vietnamese

ẩn nấp

nằm phục kích, phục kích, hành xử lén lút, bí mật

🇹🇭Thai

แฝงตัว

นอนรอ ซุ่มโจมตี ประพฤติตนอย่างลับๆ ล่อๆ

🇮🇩Indonesian

mengintai

menunggu, berbaring dalam penyergapan, berperilaku licik dan penuh rahasia

🇵🇭Filipino

magtago

maghintay, magsinungaling sa pagtambang, kumilos sa isang palihim at palihim na paraan

🇲🇾Malay

mengintai

menunggu, bersembunyi dalam serangan hendap, berkelakuan licik dan berahsia

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

كامنة

تكمن في الانتظار، تكمن في كمين، تتصرف بطريقة متستر وسرية

🇮🇷Persian

کمین کن

در کمین نشستن، در کمین دراز کشیدن، به شیوه ای یواشکی و پنهانی رفتار کن

🇹🇷Turkish

gizlenmek

pusuya yatmak, pusuya yatmak, sinsi ve gizli davranmak

🇮🇱Hebrew

לְהִסְתָתֵר

לשכב, לשכב במארב, להתנהג בצורה ערמומית וחשאית

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'lurk'?

The primary meaning of 'lurk' is 'lie in wait, lie in ambush, behave in a sneaky and secretive manner'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'lurk' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'lurk' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'lurk' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'lurk' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'lurk' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

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Never

Do you find 'lurk' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

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In your opinion, does the word 'lurk' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'lurk' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'lurk' in a professional email?

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Would you classify 'lurk' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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