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Definition of lurk verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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/
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  1. [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.
  2. [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 Examples
    • the darker emotions that lurk beneath the surface
    • the fears still lurking in our minds
    Topics Dangerc2
  3. [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
  4. Word OriginMiddle English: perhaps from lour + the frequentative suffix -k (as in talk).
See lurk in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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