lurk
/ləːk
/verb [no object, with adverbial of place]
1Be or remain hidden so as to wait in ambush for someone or something: a ruthless killer still lurked in the darkness...
- He kept toward the centre of the street-like corridors and avoided getting too close to the alleys, who knew what predator lurked in the darkness?
- In the case of the Kalundu killing, the assailants must have been lurking in the vicinity waiting for their victim.
- A grove of crotons became a magical jungle where snakes and other exotic creatures lurked, waiting to pounce.
Synonyms
skulk, loiter, lie in wait, lie low, hide, conceal oneself, take cover, keep out of sight;
sneak, sidle, slink, prowl, steal, move furtively, move with stealth
1.1(Of an unpleasant quality) be present in a latent or barely discernible state, although still presenting a threat: danger lurks beneath the surface (as adjective lurking) he lives with a lurking fear of exposure as a fraud...
- ‘What an appetite you have,’ my sister said with acidity lurking beneath her fake sweetness.
- Neither Wheaton nor Fu deals directly with the issue of the noisiness in house prices, although it lurks beneath the surface of Fu's model.
- While quality is my priority, quantity is always lurking close behind, lingering like an embarrassed little brother.
1.2 [no object] informal Read the postings in an Internet forum without actively contributing.They don't read blogs, lurk in chatrooms or give much weight to professional media critics....
- The world is full of very lonely people, and it's safe to assume that a lot of people lurking and talking in online chat rooms are among them.
- I lurk on SIG listservs and go to SIG websites to get a picture of the issues being brought forward and discussed.
noun Australian /NZ informal
A profitable stratagem; a dodge or scheme: you’ll soon learn the lurks and perks...
- Work towards ending the unfair and unjustified lurks and perks of the career politicians currently in parliament.
- Also recent media reports that federal politicians are planning further entitlements raid on the public purse on top of current lurks and perks they currently enjoy.
- That's a lot of money - but there's also a lot of tax lurks, a lot of business welfare and a lot of lawyers who get paid a lot of money to find loopholes out there.
Origin
Middle English: perhaps from lour + the frequentative suffix -k (as in talk). The noun is from British slang lurk 'method of fraud'.