lurkverb
uk/lɜːk/us/lɝːk/[ I usually + adv/prep ] to wait or move in a secret way so that you cannot be seen, especially because you are about to attack someone or do something wrong:
Someone was lurking in the shadows.
Why are you lurking around in the hallway?
[ I usually + adv/prep ] (of an unpleasant feeling or quality) to exist although it is not always noticeable:
Danger lurks around every corner.
It seems that old prejudices are still lurking beneath the surface.
[ I ] informal internet & telecoms to spend time in a chat room or on a social media website and read what other people have posted (= written or added) without posting anything yourself
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Hiding and disguising
- be holed up idiom
- bury
- camo
- camouflage
- cloak
- conceal
- concealment
- hit the deck idiom
- hole up (somewhere)
- illusion
- incognito
- infiltration
- obscure
- sidle
- skulk
- smokescreen
- snuck
- stash
- tuck
- veil
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Existing and being
Internet terminology
lurking
adjective uk/ˈlɜː.kɪŋ/us/ˈlɝː.kɪŋ/
I have some lurking doubts (= doubts which will not go completely away) about whether Simon is really capable of doing this job.
She said she had a lurking suspicion (= she had a very slight feeling) that he wasn't telling the truth.