Adjacent Words

Lurk definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

LURK, v.i.
1. To lie hid; to lie in wait.
Let us lay wait for blood; let us lurk privily for the innocent. Proverbs 1.
2. To lie concealed or unperceived. See that no selfish motive lurks in the heart.
See the lurking gold upon the fatal tree.
3. To retire from public observation; to keep out of sight.
The defendant lurks and wanders about in Berks.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: lie in wait, lie in ambush, behave in a sneaky and secretive manner [syn: lurk, skulk]
2: be about; "The high school students like to loiter in the Central Square"; "Who is this man that is hanging around the department?" [syn: loiter, lounge, footle, lollygag, loaf, lallygag, hang around, mess about, tarry, linger, lurk, mill about, mill around]
3: wait in hiding to attack [syn: ambush, scupper, bushwhack, waylay, lurk, ambuscade, lie in wait]

Merriam Webster's

intransitive verb Etymology: Middle English; akin to Middle High German l?ren to lie in wait — more at lower Date: 14th century 1. a. to lie in wait in a place of concealment especially for an evil purpose b. to move furtively or inconspicuously c. to persist in staying 2. a. to be concealed but capable of being discovered; specifically to constitute a latent threat b. to lie hidden 3. to read messages on an Internet discussion forum (as a newsgroup or chat room) without contributing • lurker noun Synonyms: lurk, skulk, slink, sneak mean to behave so as to escape attention. lurk implies a lying in wait in a place of concealment and often suggests an evil intent <suspicious men lurking in alleyways>. skulk suggests more strongly cowardice or fear or sinister intent <something skulking in the shadows>. slink implies moving stealthily often merely to escape attention <slunk around the corner>. sneak may add an implication of entering or leaving a place or evading a difficulty by furtive or underhanded methods <sneaked out early>.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v.intr. 1 linger furtively or unobtrusively. 2 a lie in ambush. b (usu. foll. by in, under, about, etc.) hide, esp. for sinister purposes. 3 (as lurking adj.) latent, semi-conscious (a lurking suspicion). --n. Austral. sl. a dodge, racket, or scheme; a method of profitable business. Derivatives: lurker n. Etymology: ME perh. f. LOUR with frequent. -k as in TALK

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Lurk Lurk, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lurked; p. pr. & vb. n. Lurking.] [OE. lurken, lorken, prob. a dim. from the source of E. lower to frown. See Lower, and cf. Lurch, a sudden roll, Lurch to lurk.] 1. To lie hid; to lie in wait. Like wild beasts, lurking in loathsome den. --Spenser. Let us . . . lurk privily for the innocent. --Prov. i. 11. 2. To keep out of sight. The defendant lurks and wanders about in Berks. --Blackstone.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(lurks, lurking, lurked) 1. If someone lurks somewhere, they wait there secretly so that they cannot be seen, usually because they intend to do something bad. He thought he saw someone lurking above the chamber during the address. VERB: V 2. If something such as a danger, doubt, or fear lurks somewhere, it exists but is not obvious or easily recognized. Hidden dangers lurk in every family saloon car... Around every corner lurked doubt and uncertainty. VERB: V, V

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. n. 1. Lie hid, lie concealed, lie in wait, lurch. 2. Skulk, keep out of sight, keep out of the way.

Moby Thesaurus

be latent, couch, creep, escape notice, gumshoe, hibernate, hide, lay wait, lie beneath, lie dormant, lie hid, lie in wait, lie low, make no sign, nightwalk, prowl, pussyfoot, shadow, skulk, slide, slink, slip, smolder, snake, sneak, stalk, steal, tiptoe, underlie