Bob was lying in wait for Anne so he could scold her about something.
•The assassin lay in wait for his target to approach.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
lie in wait — 1. to stay hidden, ready to attack. Police said the suspect was lying in wait in a dark hallway. This person was found behind a wall, as if he were lying in wait for someone. 2. to delay doing something until the best time for it. The smart thing … New idioms dictionary
lie — lie1 [ laı ] (present participle lying [ laııŋ ] ; past tense lay [ leı ] ; past participle lain [ leın ] ) verb intransitive *** ▸ 1 be/put yourself flat ▸ 2 be in place/on surface ▸ 3 in a competition ▸ 4 consist of ▸ 5 be in particular state ▸ … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
lie — I UK [laɪ] / US verb [intransitive] Word forms lie : present tense I/you/we/they lie he/she/it lies present participle lying UK [ˈlaɪɪŋ] / US past tense lay UK [leɪ] / US past participle lain UK [leɪn] / US *** 1) a) to be in a position in which… … English dictionary
wait — [wāt] vi. [ME waiten < NormFr waitier < Frank * wahten, to guard, akin to OHG wahta, a guard, watch: for IE base see WAKE1] 1. to stay in a place or remain in readiness or in anticipation (until something expected happens or for someone to… … English World dictionary
lie — lie1 W1S2 [laı] v past tense lay [leı] past participle lain [leın] present participle lying third person singular lies ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(flat position)¦ 2¦(exist)¦ 3¦(place)¦ 4¦(future)¦ … Dictionary of contemporary English
lie — 1 /laI/ verb present participle lyingpast tense lay, past participle lain /leIn/ 1 FLAT POSITION a) (intransitive always + adv/prep) to be in a position in which your body is flat on the floor, on a bed etc (+ on/in/there etc): He was lying on… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
wait — 1 /weIt/ verb 1 DELAY/NOT START STH (I) to not do something or go somewhere until something else happens, someone arrives etc: Hurry up! Everyone s waiting. | Wait right here until I come back. | wait for sth/sb: We had to wait over an hour for… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
wait — wait1 W1S1 [weıt] v ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(not go/start something)¦ 2¦(something has not happened)¦ 3 wait a minute/second/moment etc 4 somebody can t wait/can hardly wait 5 something can/can t wait 6 wait and see 7 wait until/till ... 8 be waiting (for… … Dictionary of contemporary English
wait — I UK [weɪt] / US verb [intransitive] Word forms wait : present tense I/you/we/they wait he/she/it waits present participle waiting past tense waited past participle waited *** 1) a) to stay in one place because you expect or hope that something… … English dictionary
wait — {{11}}wait (n.) early 13c., a watcher, onlooker, from O.N.Fr. wait, O.Fr. gaite, from gaitier (see WAIT (Cf. wait) (v.)). From late 14c. as an ambush, a trap (as in lie in wait). {{12}}wait (v.) c.1200, to watch with hostile intent, lie in wait… … Etymology dictionary
lie*/*/*/ — [laɪ] (present participle lying [ˈlaɪɪŋ] ; past tense lay [leɪ] ; past participle lain [leɪn] ) verb I 1) to be or put yourself in a position in which your body is flat on a surface such as the floor or a bed She was lying on the beach reading a… … Dictionary for writing and speaking English
