From Middle English lurken, from Old Norse *lúrka, possibly from Proto-Germanic *lūrukōną (“to be lying in wait, lurk”), equivalent to lour + -k (frequentative suffix).
Cognate with Norwegian Nynorsk lurka (“to sneak away, go slowly”), dialectal Swedish lurka (“to dawdle, be slow in one's work”), Saterland Frisian lüürkje (“to look secretly, spy”), West Frisian luorkje (“to lurk”), Middle Low German lûrken (“to deceitfully stalk”).
Meanings
The act of lurking.
[…] barked furiously and made at him as at a wolf, and before he could wholly rise from the lurk because of the sudden consternation, […] 1955, John Maxwell Edmonds Longus, Daphnis et Chloe:
At two p.m. 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. 1873, Charles Reade, chapter XXVIII, in A Simpleton: A Story of the Day […], volume III, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, page 261:
There were enemies on the lurk and time was against him. 1921, George Colby Borley, The Lost Horizon:
(Australia, UK, obsolete, slang) A swindle.
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lurks
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lexicographic
Translations (7)
es ocultamiento (act of lurking) · es acecho (act of lurking) · bg дебнене (act of lurking) · es merodeo (act of lurking) · es mironeo (act of lurking) · ca aguait (act of lurking) · pt latente (act of lurking)
From Middle English lurken, from Old Norse *lúrka, possibly from Proto-Germanic *lūrukōną (“to be lying in wait, lurk”), equivalent to lour + -k (frequentative suffix).
Cognate with Norwegian Nynorsk lurka (“to sneak away, go slowly”), dialectal Swedish lurka (“to dawdle, be slow in one's work”), Saterland Frisian lüürkje (“to look secretly, spy”), West Frisian luorkje (“to lurk”), Middle Low German lûrken (“to deceitfully stalk”).
Meanings
To remain concealed in order to ambush.
Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee. 2013 June 29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55:
Things lurking in the dark / They like to leave a mark / Inside of you 2024, Jackie Evancho, “Behind My Eyes”, in Solla:
To remain unobserved.
But in time pressure ... Sammy played 40 QxPch????, thinking it was mate- he completely forgot about that Black Bishop lurking innocently at the other end of the board. 1973 November, Burt Hochburg, “Mecking Making It and other stories”, in Chess Life & Review:
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. [1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC:
To hang out or wait around a location, preferably without drawing attention to oneself.
if we find the sophist lurking, we must round him up by royal command of the argument 2005, Plato, translated by Lesley Brown, Sophist, page 235c:
(Internet) To read an Internet forum without posting comments or making one's presence apparent.
(UK, slang, transitive) To saddle (a person) with an undesirable task or duty.
As junior dogsbody, he was lurked with this mission. 2015, Andrew Gordon, The Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Naval Command:
gl alaparse (to remain unobserved) · uk никатися (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · es agazaparse (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · fi lymytä (to hang out or wait around a location) · uk люркуватися (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · ru поджида́ть (to hang out or wait around a location) · gl alucar (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · cs potloukat se (to hang out or wait around a location) · bg оставам незабелязан (to remain unobserved) · mi taiwhanga (to hang out or wait around a location) · nl lurken (to view an internet forum without posting comments) · ru пря́таться (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · gl guichar (to hang out or wait around a location) · ca aguaitar (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · ko 눈팅하다 (to view an internet forum without posting comments) · fi lymyillä (to remain unobserved) · fi piilotella (to hang out or wait around a location) · cs skrývat se (to remain unobserved) · ca restar amagat (to remain unobserved) · pt espreitar (to hang out or wait around a location) · gl viscar (to hang out or wait around a location) · gl entoñarse (to remain unobserved) · gl viscar (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · el ενεδρεύω (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · gl aseitar (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · gl agaitar (to hang out or wait around a location) · gl espreitar (to hang out or wait around a location) · gl esculcar (to hang out or wait around a location) · gl atrelar (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · fi hiippailla (to hang out or wait around a location) · eo kaŭri (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · ca aguaitar (to hang out or wait around a location) · el ελλοχεύω (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · fi lurkata (to view an internet forum without posting comments) · fr traîner (to hang out or wait around a location) · de lauern (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · el καραδοκώ (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · bg тая се (to hang out or wait around a location) · it celarsi (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · bg де́бна (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · fi kärkkyä (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · fr se cacher (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · nl schuilen (to hang out or wait around a location) · cs ukrýt se (to remain unobserved) · fr s'embusquer (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · uk скриватися (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · fi kytätä (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · ru скрыва́ться (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · gl esgueirarse (to remain unobserved) · gl atrelar (to hang out or wait around a location) · ru таи́ться (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · gl agaitar (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · gl asexar (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · fi lymyillä (to hang out or wait around a location) · fr se dissimuler (to remain unobserved) · fi vahdata (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · it acquattarsi (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · fi vaania (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · cs poflakovat se (to hang out or wait around a location) · cs skrýt se (to remain unobserved) · es acechar (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · gl agocharse (to remain unobserved) · fr se cacher (to remain unobserved) · uk таїтися (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · sv lurka (to view an internet forum without posting comments) · gl espreitar (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · fi lymytä (to remain unobserved) · gl britar (to hang out or wait around a location) · ja ROMる (to view an internet forum without posting comments) · mi tauwhanga (to hang out or wait around a location) · gl agoitar (to hang out or wait around a location) · gl guichar (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · la dēlitescō (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · pl lurkować (to view an internet forum without posting comments) · it appostarsi (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · el παραμονεύω (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · uk ховатися (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · ja ロムる (to view an internet forum without posting comments) · fi piileksiä (to hang out or wait around a location) · gl axobedarse (to remain unobserved) · cs číhat (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · fi piileksiä (to remain unobserved) · gl anoitarse (to remain unobserved) · fi väijyä (to remain concealed in order to ambush) · de lauern (to hang out or wait around a location) · fi piileskellä (to remain unobserved) · ru таи́ться (to hang out or wait around a location) · pt espreitar (to remain concealed in order to ambush)