(ˈ) ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷ transitive verb
( waylaid ; waylaid ; waylaying ; waylays )
Etymology: way (I) + lay
1.
a. : to lie in wait for : attack from ambush
another band … waiting there to waylay him — S.H.Adams
many a family coach was waylaid and its occupants robbed — F.W.Burgess
b. : to take possession of (something in transit) from or as if from ambush : intercept
c. : to stop (someone) for the purpose of conversation
on the way out a group of seniors waylaid the president and asked if something couldn't be done about one of the boys who could not graduate — Josephine Y. Case
d. : to defeat or overwhelm as if by a surprise attack
the 1930's, when social need once more waylaid the masses of Americans — Louis Filler
I am waylaid by beauty — Edna S. V. Millay
2. : to beset (as a passageway) with a force capable of attacking whoever approaches
3. obsolete : to check the course of : obstruct , block