lurk
verb /lɜːk/
/lɜːrk/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they lurk | /lɜːk/ /lɜːrk/ |
he / she / it lurks | /lɜːks/ /lɜːrks/ |
past simple lurked | /lɜːkt/ /lɜːrkt/ |
past participle lurked | /lɜːkt/ /lɜːrkt/ |
-ing form lurking | /ˈlɜːkɪŋ/ /ˈlɜːrkɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) to wait somewhere secretly, especially because you are going to do something bad or illegal synonym skulk
- Why are you lurking around outside my house?
- A crocodile was lurking just below the surface.
Extra Examples- I felt sure that someone was lurking among the trees.
- I saw a man lurking in the shadows.
- [intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) when something unpleasant or dangerous lurks, it is present but not in an obvious way
- At night, danger lurks in these streets.
Extra ExamplesTopics Dangerc2- the darker emotions that lurk beneath the surface
- the fears still lurking in our minds
- [intransitive] (computing) to read a discussion in a chat room, etc. on the internet, without taking part in it yourselfTopics Phones, email and the internetc2
Word OriginMiddle English: perhaps from lour + the frequentative suffix -k (as in talk).