ambush
Americannoun
-
ambushes
plural
-
an act or instance of lying concealed so as to attack by surprise.
The highwaymen waited in ambush near the road.
-
an act or instance of attacking unexpectedly from a concealed position.
-
the concealed position itself.
They fired from ambush.
-
those who attack suddenly and unexpectedly from a concealed position.
verb (used with object)
-
ambushes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ambushed,
past participle, past
-
ambushing
present participle
noun
-
the act of waiting in a concealed position in order to launch a surprise attack
-
a surprise attack from such a position
-
the concealed position from which such an attack is launched
-
the person or persons waiting to launch such an attack
verb
-
to lie in wait (for)
-
(tr) to attack suddenly from a concealed position
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ambushsimple
-
ambushessimple
-
have ambushedperfect
-
has ambushedperfect
-
am ambushingprogressive
-
are ambushingprogressive
-
is ambushingprogressive
-
have been ambushingperfect progressive
-
has been ambushingperfect progressive
Past
-
ambushedsimple
-
had ambushedperfect
-
was ambushingprogressive
-
were ambushingprogressive
-
had been ambushingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ambush
1250–1300; (v.) Middle English enbuss ( h ) en < Middle French embuschier to place men in ambush, literally, to set in the woods, equivalent to em- im- 1 + busch- (< Vulgar Latin *busca wood, forest < Germanic *busk- heavy stick) + -ier infinitive suffix; (noun) earlier enbusshe < Middle French embusche, derivative of the v.
Explanation
An ambush is a sneak attack. To ambush your enemy, hide and wait for him to come near and then pounce on him. In war or in backyards, an ambush is a great way to surprise someone. Ambush comes from a Latin word meaning “to place in a wood,” and hiding in the woods behind a tree is a classic starting point for an ambush. The actual attack is called an ambush, but ambush is also a verb, so you can ambush your mom by dropping water balloons on her head from a tree. Please don’t tell her where you got that idea.
Vocabulary lists containing ambush
Animal Farm
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"In the Spotlight," Vocabulary from the informational text
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Mr. Sullivan set up what some top Israeli defense officials saw as an ambush by bringing nearly the entire top U.S. team on the line to weigh in against a strike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
“I’m not going to ambush those guys, and I’m not going to ambush Glas,” Roberts said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
But since the rings select their bearers by asking whether they’re afraid during an ambush designed to create dread, the test favors those for whom life never presents anything to fear.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
It is known as ambush marketing - and Fifa has been battling it since 1994.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
So the ambush was sent out post-haste, and everything within the castle was at sixes and sevens.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
He had survived bandito ambushes and cutthroat plots, shipwrecks and crash-landings and high-sea duels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
The filmmakers take their time revealing what long-ago crimes have so incensed Okuzaki as he more or less ambushes old comrades and superiors in their homes, confronting them with his accusations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
AFP spoke to his former business partner, ex-major Omar Rodriguez, who said that after a few desert ambushes last year, Quijano "paused" the operation.
From Barron's ● Dec. 21, 2025
"He was very good at setting up ambushes," one of Makenga's fellow RPF fighters told the Rift Valley Institute non-profit research organisation.
From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2025
Tyler ambushes me in between third and fourth period.
From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
Think of it as a tax “prenup” with Uncle Sam that you settle up on your terms so the surviving spouse isn’t ambushed by higher rates down the road.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
It was a safe haven from the Germans, who feared being ambushed by the Resistance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
The BBC has been shown footage from 22 June 2023 in which a group of migrants, who had just crossed into Evros and wanted to claim asylum, were ambushed by masked men.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
“Flying through blizzard conditions, his squadron was ambushed by seven Soviet fighter planes.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
As he came off the stage, Charlie ambushed him and asked him if maybe Wachovia didn’t want to put its money where its mouth was and sell him some credit default swaps.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
That’s still better than ambushing workers all at once with mass layoffs, some executives say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
We’ve all seen the appalling videos of masked agents ambushing and abducting these migrants in the halls of New York’s immigration court as they’re leaving a hearing.
From Slate ● Mar. 27, 2026
Signs of desperate hunger are growing as people resort to consuming animal feed or ambushing aid trucks.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 16, 2024
That episode occurred one inning after Acuña hammered the ball harder than anyone has all season, ambushing a 3-0 fastball by rookie Emmet Sheehan that left the yard at 121.4 mph.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2023
The young bounced around the adults, ambushing one another, rolling in mock battle, and shrieking for protection when an older animal lost patience and bared its teeth.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
