lurk

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /lɜːk/
• (US) IPA: /lɝk/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)k

Verb

lurk (third-person singular simple present lurks, present participle lurking, simple past and past participle lurked)

1. To remain concealed in order to ambush
2. To remain unobserved
   • 1898, J. Meade Falkner, Moonfleet Chapter 4

     Thus my plight was evil indeed, for I had nothing now to burn to give me light, and knew that 'twas no use setting to grout till I could see to go about it. Moreover, the darkness was of that black kind that is never found beneath the open sky, no, not even on the darkest night, but lurks in close and covered places and strains the eyes in trying to see into it.

3. to hang out or wait around a location, preferably without drawing attention to oneself
   • 2005, Plato, Sophist. Translation by Lesley Brown. 235c.

     if we find the sophist lurking, we must round him up by royal command of the argument

4. (Internet) to view an internet forum without posting comments

Translations

to remain concealed in order to ambush

Finnish: väijyä (fi), vaania (fi)

Portuguese: espreitar (pt) Spanish: estar al acecho (es)

to remain unobserved

Finnish: piileksiä (fi)

Spanish: ocularse (es), mironeo (es) m.

to hang out or wait around a location

Catalan: aguaitar Dutch: schuilen (nl) Finnish: piileksiä (fi), piilotella (fi), hiippailla (fi) French: traîner (fr)

German: lauern (de) Portuguese: espreitar (pt) Russian: таиться (ru) Spanish: merodear (es)

to view an internet forum without posting comments

Finnish: taustahengailla (fi)

Polish: (rare) lurkować (pl) Spanish: mironeo (es) m.

Noun

lurk (plural lurks)

1. The act of lurking.
   • 1921: George Colby Borley, The Lost Horizon

     There were enemies on the lurk and time was against him.

   • 1955: John Maxwell Edmonds Longus, Daphnis et Chloe

     ... barked furiously and made at him as at a wolf, and before he could wholly rise from the lurk because of the sudden consternation, ...

   • 2004: Charles Reade, A Simpleton

     At two PM a man had called on him, and had produced one of his advertisements, and had asked him if that was all square—no bobbies on the lurk.